Policymakers in the UK have recognised the CIPD and its members as key stakeholders in the development of a raft of new employment legislation.
Over the past nine months, the CIPD’s team of public policy experts has represented the views and insights of the people profession in government consultations, roundtables, tripartite meetings with government, trade unions and employer organisations, and meetings with ministers, MPs and civil servants.
The people profession is uniquely placed to advise government on the feasibility of proposed reforms and we’re proud to represent HR, L&D and OD professionals from organisations of all sectors and sizes. No other profession has the interests of both people and business at the heart of everything we do.
Employment Rights Bill: informing the biggest employment law reform in a generation
The government’s flagship Employment Rights Bill (ERB) represents the most significant overhaul of employment law in decades. Recognising the critical role of the HR profession in implementing these changes, policymakers have engaged directly with the CIPD to inform key aspects of the bill.
Since last year’s general election, we have:
- Participated in tripartite meetings with trade unions and employer organisations.
- Held direct discussions with ministers, MPs, and civil servants to raise members’ concerns.
- Engaged with the employment rights minister
- Contributed to government roundtable discussions on policy details
- Submitted evidence and insights to official consultations.
We’re pleased to see that consultations around the bill have already led to a raft of amendments, which were revealed at the third reading of the bill in the House of Commons on 4 March. The amendments included detail on areas like fire and rehire and how the government intend to regulate to restrict zero hours contracts for agency workers.
As the bill progresses through parliament, and a second reading in the House of Lords expected on 27 March, we’ll continue to push for clarity, consultation and a detailed implementation plan.
CIPD members can keep up to date with the latest updates and implications of the bill thanks to our handy employment law tracker.
Supporting employment through ‘Get Britain Working’ and ‘Keep Britain Working’
The government is also prioritising measures to support more people into work, particularly young people and those with health conditions or disabilities. This began with the launch of the Get Britain Working White Paper in 2024 and is continuing with the Keep Britain Working review, led by former John Lewis boss Charlie Mayfield.
We’ve engaged directly with the Employment Minister Alison McGovern and Charlie Mayfield on this agenda and have fed into the early stages of the Keep Britain Working review. Most recently we joined the Secretary of State Liz Kendall at the launch of the initial phase of the review, where we highlighted the role of the HR profession and key areas the government can look at to help support more people into work.
Our recent parliamentary event on women’s health, where we were joined by Shadow Women’s Minister Mims Davies MP and Sarah Owen MP, Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, reinforced our commitment to advocating for policies that help people to remain in the workforce for longer.