The government are introducing new workplace rights to end unfair employment practices. The employment Rights Bill will ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, end fire and rehire, and introduce basic employment rights from day one. Key policies include:

• Day-one rights – Workers will qualify for protection against unfair dismissal from day one – a benefit for 9 million people. Previously, employees must have been at their place of work for at least two years in order to qualify.
• Sick pay – There will be a universal entitlement to sick pay from the first day of illness for employees. Workers will get rights to sick pay from day one, rather than from day four. Statutory sick pay is £116.75 a week and can be paid for up to 28 weeks, as long as the employee is earning an average of at least £123 a week.
• Zero-hours contracts – People on zero-hours contracts will gain guaranteed working hours if they want them. Those workers, along with those on low-hours contracts, will have the right to a guaranteed-hours contract if they work regular hours over a defined period, which Labour’s original proposal said would be 12 weeks. Employees can also request to remain on zero-hours contracts if that is what they would prefer.
• Minimum wage – The government plans to change the remit of the Low Pay Commission so it must take into account the cost of living when setting the minimum wage and remove all the age bands that set lower minimum wage for younger staff. It will mean a pay rise for hundreds of thousands of young workers.