CBI comments ahead of changes to employment laws
The CBI today (Friday) commented on changes to employment regulations coming into force from tomorrow (1 October), including new rules on agency workers and the removal of the default retirement age (DRA)
Katja Hall, CBI Chief Policy Director, said:
"At a time when we should be nurturing companies and helping them
to grow and create jobs, these regulatory changes are simply
counter-productive."
On agency workers, Ms Hall said:
"There couldn't be a worse time to bring in this unwelcome Brussels
Directive.
"A hard-won 12-week qualification period for each temp to be in a
firm before the rules are applied should help control costs and
minimise administrative burdens.
"But the new rules will still act as a brake on jobs. The
Government must take the first opportunity to remove unnecessary
gold-plating or reform the directive."
The new rules on agency workers will cost employers an estimated
£1.8bn a year, and affect over 1.6m workers.
On the removal of the DRA, Ms Hall added:
"In the absence of a default retirement age, the Government must
act now to spell out how employers can have a protected
conversation about employees' retirement plans without fear of
tribunals.
"The Government has dithered too long on this issue. The DRA was
valued as it helped employers to plan ahead and manage changes to
the workforce. We urgently need an effective new framework for
retirement planning."
Notes to Editors:
The CBI is the UK's leading business organisation, speaking for
some 240,000 businesses that together employ around a third of the
private sector workforce. With offices across the UK as well as
representation in Brussels, Washington, Beijing and Delhi the CBI
communicates the British business voice around the world.
Media Contact:
CBI Press Office on 020 7395 8239 or out of hours pager on 07623
977 854. Follow the CBI on Twitter at: www.cbi.org.uk/twitter