22 November 2014

The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill has passed its third reading in the House of Commons and will now move to the House of Lords for consideration. Report stage and third reading took place on Wednesday 19 November. A number of amendments were made to the Bill, which passed third reading without a vote.

The bill includes measures on the following:

Whistleblowing

Prescribed persons will be required to report annually of whistleblowing disclosures received, maintaining confidentiality obligations.

Employment Tribunals

Employers failing to pay an ET award will face a “strong financial consequence”.

Ministers will be allowed to place a limit on the number of successful applications for the postponement of an Employment Tribunal hearing requested by a claimant or respondent.

Minimum Wage

Penalties imposed on employers found breaching minimum wage legislation will be increased, and imposed on a per-worker basis.

Zero Hours Contracts

Exclusivity in Zero Hours Contracts will be made invalid, in order that no employee is tied exclusively to a contract with no guarantee of work.

Public Sector Exit Payments

Individuals re-entering the public sector will be required to repay payments received on their exit