The Melting Pot is hosting the Buy Social Fair on Saturday 29th March 11am-4pm. The Melting Pot is Scotland’s Centre for Social Innovation and hosts a shared workspace that is home to a plethora of purpose driven businesses.
This debut event will help Edinburgh residents ‘buy social’ with stallholders selling ethical gifts, handmade crafts and foodie delights.
The Melting Pot will host the first Buy Social Fair on Saturday 29th March 11am – 4pm with gifts, crafts and tasty treats from local sellers doing their bit for people and planet.
The stalls will range from handmade gifts, Scottish art, delicious food and information about incredible local businesses delivering social impact.
The Buy Social Fair will take place at The Melting Pot’s home on Calton Road directly behind Waverley Station. The £5 ticket price covers entry to the fair, refreshments and a free day of coworking to redeem at a later date.
The Melting Pot opened as Scotland’s first “coworking” space in 2007, but during COVID had to close its doors due to the challenges of operating the space during the lockdowns. However, they successfully re-opened in the new Calton Road venue, formerly renowned nightclub The Venue, in 2020. Allowing them to continue supporting a community of remote and hybrid workers, social entrepreneurs and small businesses as they navigate a changing world of work.
Helen Denny CEO of The Melting Pot said, “We’re so excited to host the first Buy Social Fair.We all know we should shop more ethically, but it can be difficult to know where to go. So, we decided to bring together a whole host of products and people for a market at our city centre venue.
“We’re asking people who are out and about for a Saturday of shopping to come and enjoy an ethical option, supporting our stallholders and their crucial work while making no compromise on quality.
“Support Buy Social Scotland with a ticket that costs you about the same as a coffee in the city centre. We’ll throw in the coffee for free!”
Buy Social Scotland is a national campaign run by Social Enterprise Scotland with support from Scottish Government. It urges Scots to use their purchasing power for good by shopping locally, ethically and sustainably.
The Melting Pot, Social Enterprise Scotland and the Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network have teamed up to run the Buy Social Fair. Helping Edinburgh residents take their pick of ethical products and meet the people behind these businesses that make a difference.
Chris Martin, CEO of Social Enterprise Scotland says “Scotland is home to so many incredible social enterprises. Buy Social Scotland bridges the gap between these businesses and ethical consumers who want to shop with purpose but may not know where to start.
“We’re excited to welcome people to the Buy Social Fair at The Melting Pot, where they can discover inspiring products and meet the changemakers driving positive impact across Edinburgh and Scotland.”
Buy Social Fair stallholders include Edinburgh institutions like the Summerhall Distillery, selling their iconic, locally made spirits. The Grassmarket Community Project, whose artisan woodwork, candles and tartan gifts help fund their work supporting people dealing with multiple complex issues into mainstream education and employment.
And Upmo Retail who reinvest profits from products like handmade eco-resin plant pots, screen printed T-shirts and macramé plant hangers into their work with adults with learning disabilities and autism throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Stallholder BRO Enterprise is a student-led social enterprise based at Broughton High School. Nadia from BRO Enterprise said, “We set up BRO Enterprise so students at Broughton High School could sell products and raise funds for good causes in our community.
“All profits made from selling our brownies, soaps and sugar scrubs are used to support charities in the local area with a focus on food and hygiene security. We hope to see you at the Buy Social Fair!”
You can enjoy some delicious food from El Dorado Taqueria, authentic Mexican street food, including tacos, tamales, esquites, and totopos. Their food not only introduces people to new flavours but also builds a deeper appreciation for Mexican heritage.
And if you’re feeling adventurous try something from the Insect Cafe.
Nahla from the Insect Cafe said: “We are Scotland’s first culinary space pioneering the use of insects in our creations.
“Our handcrafted, high-protein bakes are made with locally produced insects and wholesome ingredients. We aim to inspire an exciting, nutritious and eco-friendly way of living.
“We’re excited to be at the Buy Social Fair where people can try our delicious treats and we can tell them all about our mission.”
There will also be a chance to meet some folk from amazing projects like Eat Sleep Ride CIC, a social enterprise dedicated to empowering young people through opportunities to work with and ride horses, and Aileen Carson, who provides coaching for neurodivergent people to help them navigate challenges in the workplace.
You can buy your ticket for the Buy Social Fair here – the market will be open from 11am – 4pm on Saturday 29th March.
Holyrood’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee has today launched a new call for views into civil legal assistance, covering Civil Legal Aid and Advice and Assistance for civil issues, and grant funding for advice organisations.
The call for views is part of a new inquiry, which aims to explore what is and is not working within the current legal aid system. It also aims to find out what changes could be made to the system in the short and long term to improve access to civil legal assistance.
The inquiry follows evidence the Committee heard which highlighted significant issues that make it difficult for people to access civil legal assistance. It is taking place against a backdrop of continued commentary about the fall in the number of solicitors offering to undertake legal aid work in recent months.
The Committee’s work will focus on civil justice issues, which are the branch of the law which deals with disputes about rights and responsibilities. These can include important issues around housing, relationships or social security issues.
Short-term and long-term reforms to the legal aid system are currently being considered by the Scottish Government and the Committee will share its findings to contribute to that work.
The Committee’s call for views opened yesterday and runs until 17 April 2025.
Reflecting on the launch of the call for views, Karen Adam MSP, Convener of the Equalities and Human Rights Committee, said:“Civil legal aid is a vital tool that helps ensure that everyone can have access to justice. It’s particularly important for the most vulnerable in our society who can face financial and societal challenges when trying to access legal advice and representation.
“Whether in relation to our work on the Regulation of Legal Services Bill, Civil Court Fees or with our scrutiny of the work of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, increasing challenges with access to legal aid have been repeatedly raised as a significant concern.
“In this inquiry, we’re keen to understand more about what could be done to improve access to legal aid. We’re particularly keen to hear from solicitors, organisations offering advice on civil justice issues and organisations that support people in accessing civil legal assistance.”
Funding for scientific and technological health projects
More than £6 million will be invested as part of the Accelerated National Innovations Adoption (ANIA) programme to help people with type 2 Diabetes, stroke patients and babies born with a rare genetic condition.
A national digital intensive weight management programme will support 3,000 people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. With £4.5 million invested over three years the project is expected to help around 40% to achieve remission from the condition by the end of their first year in the programme.
Two additional projects will look at pharmacogenetics – how a person’s genetics affect their response to certain drugs.
A total of £1.1 million will support testing of recent stroke patients to determine if they have a genetic variation that impairs the benefits of a drug commonly prescribed to reduce the risk of secondary stroke and which would mean an alternative drug should be considered for them.
A programme to provide a genetic test for newborn babies will also receive £800,000 funding to determine if they have a genetic variation which puts them at risk of permanent hearing loss if they are treated with a common emergency antibiotic.
Cabinet Secretary for Health Neil Gray said: “In January the First Minister laid out our vision for Scotland’s NHS with digital innovation being a crucial part of our plans to reform health services.
“So I am pleased to announce funding for these projects which demonstrate the transformative potential of scientific and technological innovation to improve health and social care.
“These projects have life changing effects for those who will benefit from them, resulting in improved health outcomes and a better quality of life.
“Innovation is transforming healthcare and delivering medical benefits for the people of Scotland and the NHS, which will see reduced pressures as a direct result of projects just like these.”
Chief Executive of NHS Golden Jubilee, Gordon James, said: “”The approval of these innovative projects through the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) pathway is a significant step in delivering transformative innovations at scale to benefit patients all across Scotland.
“Lead by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), this project to deliver the diabetes remission programmes, pharmacogenetic testing for stroke, and genetic testing for newborns was an incredible example of collaboration from NHS organisations and colleagues to deliver the highest possible standard of patient care.
“The ANIA pathway is an initiative by NHS Scotland aimed at expediting the integration of high-impact innovations into healthcare services, and that’s exactly these new programmes will offer for more patients across Scotland than ever before.”
Chief Scientist, Prof Dame Anna Dominiczak said: “Scotland’s triple helix of industry, academia and our NHS are working in partnership to lead a scientific revolution which has the power to transform healthcare.
“These are excellent examples of research enabled, clinically beneficial and cost-effective innovations, which should be prioritised for national adoption”
Number of people on the highest rate of Universal Credit with no support to look for work has almost quadrupled since the Covid pandemic
Figures show 1.8 million people now in Limited Capability for Work Related Activity (LCWRA) category as broken Work Capability Assessment continues to push people out of work
New figures emerge ahead of proposals to reform health and disability benefits and builds on the plan to get Britain working
1.8 million people on Universal Credit are getting no support to find work, according to new data released yesterday (Thursday 13 March).
The number has almost quadrupled since the start of the pandemic when 360,000 people were considered too sick to look for work – a 383% rise in less than five years. In the last year alone, the number has risen by from 1.4 million people to 1.8 million.
The number of young people aged 16 to 24 on LCWRA has risen by 249% from 46,000 to 160,000 since the pandemic – demonstrating a worrying increase in the number people becoming trapped in inactivity early in life, with almost one million young people not in education, employment, or training.
The government is already taking action to get people into work through its plan to get Britain working which will empower local mayors to tackle economic inactivity, overhaul Jobcentres, and deliver a Youth Guarantee so every young person is either earning or learning.
Building on the biggest employment reforms for a generation, Liz Kendall is due to announce radical welfare reforms to create a thriving and inclusive labour market – as part of the government’s Plan for Change to unlock work, boost growth and raise living standards.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Rt Hon. Liz Kendall MP, said: “Millions of people have been locked out of work by a failing welfare system which abandons people – when we know there are at least 200,000 people who want to work, and are crying out for the right support and a fair chance.
“This government is determined to fix the broken benefits system we inherited so it genuinely supports people, unlocks work, boosts living standards while putting the welfare bill on a more sustainable footing.”
In the current dysfunctional system, a person is placed in binary categories of either “fit for work” or “not fit for work” through the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) – an assessment the government has said it will either reform or replace, so it no longer drives people who want to work to a life on benefits.
Through this process, those not fit for work are told they have Limited Capability for Work Related Activity (LCWRA) – meaning they won’t receive employment support or further engagement from the system at any point following their assessment – effectively abandoning and locking them out of work indefinitely.
The current system, in which people 25 and over on the standard rate of UC get £393.45 a month and those with a health condition get an additional £416.19, gives an incentive for people to say they can’t work – and get locked out of help and support – simply to get by financially.
Over the past five years, 67% of people on Universal Credit who have been through a WCA were considered LCWRA – a symptom of the assessment system pushing people to prove their inability to work for a more generous payout.
The government says it has hit the ground running to tackle health-related inactivity at its root, improving the country’s wellness by investing £26 billion in the NHS, delivering 2 million extra appointments to tackle medical waiting lists, and hiring an extra 8,500 mental health workers, so people get the treatment they need to stay healthy and in work.
This comes alongside the £250 million plan to get Britain working and the recently announced 1,000 Work Coaches will be redeployed to offer intensive employment support to around 65,000 sick and disabled people – a ‘downpayment’ on our plan to restore fairness to our welfare system.
For World Sleep Day on Friday March 14, 2025, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) highlights the serious risks of drowsy driving, with over 430 people killed or seriously injured, and 1,276 collisions, linked to tiredness in 2023
RoSPA is working with the Fatigue Group, a non-profit organisation led by award-winning NHS anaesthetists, to provide advice to workers and their employers on managing the risk of fatigue, the importance of regular rest and recognising when people are too tired to drive
RoSPA also wants government to take actions including standardised tests for fatigue (similar to breathalyser tests), and public awareness campaigns targeting high risk groups such as shift workers
Spokespeople from RoSPA and the Fatigue Group are available for interview
World Sleep Day 2025
“If you’re tired, don’t drive” – that’s the message from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) ahead of this year’s World Sleep Day on March 14. The charity is raising awareness about the significant risks associated with drowsy driving, after over 430 people were killed or seriously injured, and there were 1,276 collisions, linked to tiredness in 2023.
RoSPA is working with the Fatigue Group, a non-profit organisation led by award-winning NHS anaesthetists, to raise awareness of the dangers of driving after working long hours. The Fatigue Group was formed after tragic incidents in which colleagues were killed while driving home exhausted.
The Group is continuing the work of the #fightfatigue campaign originally designed for NHS staff, although much of the advice will help anyone who works long hours or night shifts keep themselves and others safe.
These include the HALT principles, which advise against driving if you are Hungry, Angry, Late or Tired, and recommendations to take regular rest breaks at work.
Although the issue is particularly serious in the health service – with a recent Medical Defence Union (MDU) survey revealing that 90% of doctors feel sleep deprived at work – fatigue presents a risk across the entire workforce. That’s most apparent in physically demanding industries such as haulage and construction, but can also affect people putting in long hours at an office before driving home.
RoSPA emphasises that anyone who begins to feel tired when they are driving stop as soon as is safe and possible, and ideally try and find somewhere safe to sleep until they feel rested. Although two strong coffees and a 15 minute nap might help in the short-term, this should never be done more than once per journey.
RoSPA is also calling upon employers to ensure their staff are well rested and safe, for example by ensuring workers take regular breaks, and incorporating effective staff fatigue risk management in working patterns.
In addition, RoSPA wants the government to introduce standardised tests for assessing fatigue at the scene of road traffic collisions, similar to breathalyser tests for alcohol, establish a national registry of drowsy driving incidents, and run public awareness campaigns targeting high-risk groups such as shift workers.
The Fatigue Group advocates that healthcare organisations should have the same regulatory requirements for fatigue risk management as exist for all other safety-critical industries.
Caitlin Taylor, Road Safety Manager at RoSPA, said: “Drowsy driving is responsible for many serious and fatal collisions each year. Fatigue impairs driving ability similar to drink or drug driving but gets much less attention. This must change.
“Fatigue slows reaction times, reduces awareness, and affects decision-making, putting everyone at risk. RoSPA calls on employers, policymakers, and the government to act now by improving workplace fatigue management, investing in public awareness campaigns, and collecting better data on fatigue-related crashes. No one should lose their life due to preventable driver fatigue.”
JP Lomas of The Fatigue Group said: “‘We have our own personal experience of the perils of driving while tired, having had colleagues die driving home after night shifts.
“Although not every journey ends in tragedy, the pressure on healthcare staff leads to many feeling forced to take risks, with research showing that 57% of trainees and 45% of consultants had experienced an accident or near miss driving tired post-shift.
“Working long hours without adequate rest breaks not only puts the patients they care for in danger – with evidence demonstrating that surgery performed at night or after hours is associated with higher mortality rates – but also other people outside of hospitals.
“With such a large number of tired employees on the roads all day and night, this is an urgent problem in the healthcare sector. We call for hospitals to provide dedicated rest time and spaces for staff.
The so-called ‘hero’ culture where people continue working despite being exhausted for fear of looking ‘weak’ or letting others down, needs to be replaced by a safety culture where staff mitigate the impacts of fatigue with power naps and rest breaks.
“Our message is simple – getting enough rest is a necessity not a weakness, and could save lives.”
The Regenerative Futures Fund is a new initiative to improve the lives of people living in poverty and experiencing racism in Edinburgh, while contributing towards a just, green transition in the city.
It will support community organisations in Edinburgh for 10 years and we are bringing together people who live in Edinburgh to decide who gets funded!
Group members will:
• have lived or be living in poverty and/or have experienced racism
• have lived in Edinburgh for at least the past year and plan to stay here
We’ll ask you to join 2 – 4 meetings a month and bring your imagination and hopes to make Edinburgh a happy, healthy home for everyone.
We will pay for your time (more than £15 per hour), pay for things that can make your life better (for you or your career) and offer translation, costs of childcare, travel and other things that make it easy for you to join.
What’s next? Read more about joining the group and then talk to us… we’re Aala (she/her) and Andy (he/him) and we would love to chat!
Ending NHS England will ‘reduce bureaucracy, make savings and empower NHS staff to deliver better care for patients’
Major reforms to empower NHS staff and put patients first
Changes will drive efficiency and empower staff to deliver better care as part of Prime Minister’s Plan for Change
Move will reduce complex bureaucracy and undo the damage caused by 2012 reorganisation
Reforms to reduce bureaucracy, make savings and empower NHS staff to deliver better care for patients have been set out today by the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
NHS England will be brought back into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to put an end to the duplication resulting from 2 organisations doing the same job in a system currently holding staff back from delivering for patients.
By stripping back layers of red tape and bureaucracy, more resources will be put back into the front line rather than being spent on unnecessary admin.
The reforms will reverse the 2012 top-down reorganisation of the NHS which created burdensome layers of bureaucracy without any clear lines of accountability. As Lord Darzi’s independent investigation into the state of the NHS found, the effects of this are still felt today and have left patients worse off under a convoluted and broken system.
The current system also penalises hardworking staff at NHS England and DHSC who desperately want to improve the lives of patients but who are being held back by the current overly bureaucratic and fragmented system.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “This is the final nail in the coffin of the disastrous 2012 reorganisation, which led to the longest waiting times, lowest patient satisfaction and most expensive NHS in history.
“When money is so tight, we cannot justify such a complex bureaucracy with 2 organisations doing the same jobs. We need more doers and fewer checkers, which is why I’m devolving resources and responsibilities to the NHS frontline.
“NHS staff are working flat out but the current system sets them up to fail. These changes will support the huge number of capable, innovative and committed people across the NHS to deliver for patients and taxpayers.
“Just because reform is difficult does not mean it should not be done. This government will never duck the hard work of reform.
“We will take on vested interests and change the status quo, so the NHS can once again be there for you when you need it.”
Sir James Mackey, who will be taking over as Transition CEO of NHS England, said: “We know that while unsettling for our staff, today’s announcement will bring welcome clarity as we focus on tackling the significant challenges ahead and delivering on the government’s priorities for patients.
“From managing the COVID pandemic, the biggest and most successful vaccine campaign which got the country back on its feet, to introducing the latest, most innovative new treatments for patients, NHS England has played a vital role in improving the nation’s health. I have always been exceptionally proud to work for the NHS – and our staff in NHS England have much to be proud of.
“But we now need to bring NHS England and DHSC together so we can deliver the biggest bang for our buck for patients, as we look to implement the 3 big shifts – analogue to digital, sickness to prevention and hospital to community – and build an NHS fit for the future.”
Incoming NHS England chair, Dr Penny Dash, said: “I am committed to working with Jim, the board and wider colleagues at NHS England to ensure we start 2025 to 2026 in the strongest possible position to support the wider NHS to deliver consistently high-quality care for patients and value for money for taxpayers.
“I will also be working closely with Alan Milburn to lead the work to bring together NHS England and DHSC to reduce duplication and streamline functions.”
Work will begin immediately to return many of NHS England’s current functions to DHSC. A longer-term programme of work will deliver the changes to bring NHS England back into the department, while maintaining a ‘laser-like focus’ on the government’s priorities to cut waiting times and responsibly manage finances.
It will also realise the untapped potential of the NHS as a single payer system, using its centralised model to procure cutting-edge technology more rapidly, get a better deal for taxpayers on procurement and work more closely with the life sciences sector to develop the treatments of the future.
The reforms to deliver a more efficient, leaner centre will also free up capacity and help deliver significant savings of hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services to cut waiting times through the government’s Plan for Change.
The changes will crucially also give more power and autonomy to local leaders and systems – instead of weighing them down in increasing mountains of red tape, they will be given the tools and trust they need to deliver health services for the local communities they serve with more freedom to tailor provision to meet local needs.
The number of people working in the centre has more than doubled since 2010, when the NHS delivered the shortest waiting times and highest patient satisfaction in its history. Today, the NHS delivers worse care for patients but is more expensive than ever, meaning that taxpayers are paying more but getting less.
Too much centralisation and over-supervision has led to a tangled bureaucracy, which focuses on compliance and box-ticking, rather than patient care, value for money and innovation. In one example, highlighted by Dame Patricia Hewitt’s 2023 review, one integrated care system received 97 ad-hoc requests in a month from DHSC and NHS England, in addition to the 6 key monthly, 11 weekly and 3 daily data returns.
The review also revealed the challenges caused by duplication – citing examples of tensions, wasted time and needless frictional costs generated by uncoordinated pursuit of organisational goals that do not take account of their wider effects.
Substantial reform, not just short term investment, is needed to deliver the government’s Plan for Change mission to get the NHS back on its feet and fit for the future, and this announcement is one of a series of steps the government is taking to make the NHS more productive and resilient so that it can meet the needs of the population it cares for.
NHS England’s new leadership team, Sir Jim Mackey and Dr Penny Dash, will lead this transformation while re-asserting financial discipline and continuing to deliver on the government’s priority of cutting waiting times through the Plan for Change.
These reforms will provide the structure necessary to drive forward the 3 big shifts identified by government as crucial to building an NHS fit for the future – analogue to digital, sickness to prevention and hospital to community.
Since July, the government has already taken significant steps to get the NHS back on its feet, including bringing an end to the resident doctor strikes, delivering an extra 2 million appointments 7 months early and cutting waiting lists by 193,000 since July.
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s announcement that NHS England is to be abolished, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Everyone wants more to be spent on frontline services so the sick and injured can be treated sooner.
“Delays and long waits for operations and appointments have left several million unable to work, with a knock-on effect on economic growth.
“More of a focus and greater investment in the entire NHS team of staff, not just nurses and doctors, would help turn around the fortunes of a floundering NHS.
“Put simply the health service needs thousands more staff and to be able to hold on to experienced employees. At the moment, it’s struggling to do that. Giving staff a decent pay rise would help no end.
“But this announcement will have left NHS England staff reeling. Just days ago they learned their numbers were to be slashed by half, now they discover their employer will cease to exist.
“The way the news of the axing has been handled is nothing short of shambolic. It could surely have been managed in a more sympathetic way.
“Thousands of expert staff will be left wondering what their future holds. Wherever possible, their valuable skills must be redeployed and used to the benefit of the reformed NHS and patients.
“Ministers have to reassure employees right across the NHS that there’s a robust plan to rejuvenate a flailing NHS and deliver for working people.”
Following Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement to scrap NHS England, a leading cybersecurity expert has warned the move could leave the health service dangerously exposed to cyberattacks.
While the proposed reforms aim to cut bureaucracy and streamline services, he warns that removing NHS England’s centralised cybersecurity infrastructure is “like a hospital suddenly removing its emergency department and expecting patients to fend for themselves.”
Graeme Stewart, head of public sector at Check Point Software, said, “While the Prime Minister’s sweeping reforms cover everything from cutting red tape to reining in bureaucracy, one critical area must not be left in the lurch: our cybersecurity defences. Scrapping NHS England’s centralised services is not just a bureaucratic shake-up; it’s like a hospital suddenly removing its emergency department and expecting patients to fend for themselves.
“At present, NHS England provides the backbone for our cyber defences, from a unified email service to specialised threat protection. Removing these central functions risks leaving individual NHS Trusts to fend off cyberattacks with a patchwork of under-resourced teams. As the adage goes, ‘a chain is only as strong as its weakest link,’ and our cyber chain is already under severe strain with attacks on the rise.
“Moreover, dismantling these central services could open the door for a surge of third-party suppliers to step in. While more suppliers might seem like a win for competition, it also fragments our defence and leaves us vulnerable; each new supplier is a potential weak link in our security armour.
“We need a robust, unified security system that acts like a digital fortress, not a hodgepodge of outsourced patches. In the midst of these broad reforms, let’s ensure the cyber element isn’t left out in the cold. Our digital defences must be retained or replaced with an equally robust solution; otherwise, we’re setting the stage for a cyber disaster.”
The right to guaranteed hours for zero hours workers.
Protection from unfair dismissal from day one in the job.
Sick pay for all workers, from the first day of absence
The right for unions to access workplaces to speak to workers.
The establishment of a state Fair Work Agency to bring together existing bodies to better enforce the law.
The common sense reforms take a step towards resolving key issues for many workers, such as being parked on zero hours contracts for months or years on end. Or workers being afraid to take a better job because currently they can be dismissed for no reason within the first two years.
Such steps take the UK closer to equivalent countries in the strength of its employment law.
After consultations with businesses, trade unions and the wider public at the end of last year, the government tabled a number of other notable changes when the Bill returned to parliament this week.
Here are some of the key ones:
Zero hours contracts
Agency workers will have to be offered guaranteed hours contracts reflecting their normal hours, based on a 12-week reference period. This closes a loophole that could have allowed employers to switch from employing zero hours workers directly to hiring them via an agency.
There is a provision that new rights to guaranteed hours, reasonable notice of a shift and payment for cancelled, moved and curtailed shifts can be changed if workers and an employer agree alternative arrangements in a collective agreement. This means arrangements can be tailored to suit particular workplaces.
Sick pay
The government has confirmed that workers will be entitled to receive minimum sick pay of 80 per cent of their normal wages or statutory sick pay, whichever is the lower. This largely affects workers who are not currently entitled to statutory sick pay. The government had modelled a rate as low as 60 per cent.
Union access
The right for a trade union to access a workplace to support workers and talk to them about joining has been extended to a digital right of access as well. This will be especially important where workers work outside an office and are better contacted by digital means such as email or intranet posts.
Unions have been given stronger rights to access workplaces when workers are seeking recognition. Employers will be barred from carrying unfair practices to undermine unions from the start of the process.
Trade union rights
Current law deliberately ties unions up in red tape, which gives employers great opportunities to challenge strike action in the courts on technicalities. This will reduce somewhat as the government reduces the amount of information unions must disclose to employers when they launch a strike ballot.
Meanwhile, notice for strike action will be cut from 14 days currently to ten days. And the mandate for taking strike action after a vote in favour doubled to 12 months.
Industrial action is a last resort for trade union members. After all, workers usually suffer a significant loss of income. But a vote for action can give real weight to union negotiations and kickstart talks when progress has stalled.
These changes mean some of the artificial barriers to action have been removed.
Work still to do
While the Employment Rights Bill will take important steps towards a fairer economy, there are further reforms required. These include:
Some workers could receive less sick pay under these changes than they currently receive. This should be remedied and a review conducted to improve the paltry headline rate of SSP.
A huge amount of detail will be set out in subsequent regulations laid by the government. It is crucial that new “initial periods of employment” during a worker’s first nine months in the job provide sufficient protection from unfair sacking, including a route to take a case to the employment tribunal. And that loopholes are not opened up stopping workers getting guaranteed hours contracts.
The Bill makes it easier for workers to gain recognition for their trade union. But leaves in place a law requiring a three-year gap between recognition attempts, benefiting union-busting employers. This gap should be significantly reduced.
The government will delay the repeal of a Tory measure that requires a 50 per cent turnout for a strike law to be valid until after it has introduced electronic balloting.
The government has pledged to reform current employment status rules that govern whether someone is self-employed, a worker with some rights, or an employee with full rights. An overhaul is needed to stop exploitative employers attempting to deny workers their protections.
The passage of the Employment Rights Bill represents another significant step forward for working people.
The recent amendments further strengthen government efforts to crack down on worker exploitation and strengthen their voice in the workplace.
TUC: Work-related ill-health is costing the UK economy over £400 million a week
New analysis shows that number of days lost due to work-related ill-health has rocketed by a third since 2010 to 34 million days
Work-related ill-health reduced economic output by £22bn in 2023
TUC says findings highlight the importance of driving up job quality in the UK and stronger rights at work ahead of Employment Rights Bill returning
Work-related ill-health is costing the UK economy over £415 million a week, according to new TUC analysis published on Monday.
The analysis of official statistics shows that the number of days lost due to health conditions – including stress, depression and anxiety – has shot up by a third since 2010.
In 2023 to 2024 (the latest year for which figures are available) 34 million working days were lost to work-related ill-health – compared to 22 million in 2010.
The TUC says the findings – which are published as the Employment Rights Bill returns to parliament – show the “urgent importance” of improving the quality of work in the UK.
In 2022 to 2023 (the latest year for which figures are available) work-related ill-health is estimated to have reduced economic output by £21.6bn.
Boom in insecure work
The TUC says the rise in days lost to work-related ill health has coincided with a huge boom in insecure work.
The union body estimates that over a similar period (2011-2023) the number of people in precarious employment also rocketed by a third to over 4 million.
A separate report out this week from the Commission for Healthier Working Lives suggests that poor quality work can harm employee health.It states:
“Most health conditions develop outside work, but for a significant number of people, work itself is the cause. Persistent insecurity, workplace discrimination and extreme demands take a serious toll on health. In some cases, poor-quality work is even worse for health than being unemployed.”
The TUC says driving up employment standards will help improve staff well-being, health and productivity. It will also ensure that more people with disabilities or health conditions can stay in work.
This view was backed up by polling last autumn which revealed that:
Three-quarters (75 per cent) of managers think that strengthened employment rights will improve employee health, compared to just 4 per cent who disagree
Seven in 10 (74 per cent) believe that strengthening employment rights will improve workforce retention, compared to just 6 per cent who do not.
Employment Rights Bill back in parliament
The government’s Employment Rights Bill returned to parliament this week for its report stage. The Bill will deliver “common-sense reforms” which bring the UK closer to the European mainstream on workers’ rights, the union body says.
The TUC says the legislation will help to deliver better quality work in every corner of the country by cracking down on insecure work and banning exploitative zero-hours contracts.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: ”Improving the quality of work in Britain is good for workers and our economy. Work related ill-health is costing us hundreds of millions each week – that’s billions of pounds down the drain every year.
”That’s why the government’s Employment Rights Bill is so important. Cracking down on exploitative practices like zero-hours contracts and giving people more security will boost workers’ health, well-being and productivity. It will also help more people stay in work.
“We need to turn the corner on Britain’s low-rights, low-pay economic model that has been tested to destruction over the last 14 years. Giving working people more control and predictability over their lives will help create a happier, healthier and more robust workforce.”
