Hung Parliament, Employees and Employers

What does the hung (or balanced Parliament if you want to be less alarmist) mean for employers and employees?

Our employment solicitors have found some interesting snippets of good news amongst the media noise from the press and political parties.

While a caretaker government may seem disconcerting at first, a new coalition government may actually be reassuring to employers as time goes on. We can certainly be sure of a few things…..

The political parties in a new government will have work together on aims that appeal to a broader section of society than they would have individually. Also, as each party is currently making concessions to the others a new Cabinet will be made up of MPs from at least 2 political parties meaning that radical legislation is unlikely to be passed and, in general, fewer changes will be made to employment law than would have been the case if a single party had won the election with an overall majority.

Good news for employers and employees who are finding the current employment law too complicated!

For example, the current Labour Government aimed to increase paid paternity leave entitlement to four weeks and introduce shared maternity leave, which many small businesses are reluctant to implement, but if they stay in power, they would be more likely to tone this down and agree a policy similar or nearer to the Liberal Democrats aim of allowing fathers time off for antenatal appointments and extending the right to request flexible working.

At the very least, public policy is now under review, so the hung parliament is unlikely to make much immediate difference to day-to-day life in most workplaces. The big question is what the longer term impact is likely to be? We think this will depend on whether the governing coalition is able to form employment policy in an open way or whether the parties reach an electoral stalemate.

For a free consultation on the above or any employment matter, please contact of our Senior Employment Solicitor, Jon Friend on 08458 678 978 or email office@acumenbusinesslaw.co.uk

Hung Parliament, Employees and Employers

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