Rachel Suff, employee relations adviser for the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, comments:

“The UK labour market already provides a good balance between providing reasonable protection for individuals and flexibility for employers. The UK has one of the most lightly regulated labour markets in the OECD when it comes to employment protection for individual workers and our research on this issue with employers shows few concerns with the current framework.  

“There may be a case for some tweaks to aspects of the Working Time Regulations, for example where case law has led to confusing changes on holiday pay calculation or on how working time is recorded but our research shows that overall employers are supportive of these regulations. Six in ten employers report that the Working Time Regulations are necessary to protect the health and safety of workers, with just 13% disagreeing.  

“The big issue the Government should be focusing on before looking at de-regulation should be improving how existing employment rights are enforced through publishing its long-awaited response to the consultation on the creation of a single enforcement body. An improved labour market enforcement system would be the strongest signal that the Government really is committed to protecting workers’ rights.”