Shelving of the Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 

2 October 2024

We now know that the Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 will not be brought into force this Autumn, as had been expected. The Act received Royal Assent in September 2023 and Acas had published a draft Code of Practice on handling requests made under it. This has now been put to one side for now.  

We believe the concept itself is likely to subsist. A spokesperson for the Department of Business and Trade gave the following statement to Practical Law: “We will introduce a new right to a contract that reflects the number of hours regularly worked as part of our significant and ambitious agenda to ensure workplace rights are fit for a modern economy, empower working people and deliver economic growth.”

This is in line with the briefing note which went alongside the King’s Speech in July, where proposed legislation “banning exploitative zero-hours contracts” was linked to “ensuring workers have a right to a contract that reflects the number of hours they regularly work”.  The aim is clearly there.  

It appears that, rather than create confusion by having two legal mechanisms for requesting consistency/predictability of working hours, the government has decided to put aside the one it inherited and move forward with fresh new legislation, which may well form part of its forthcoming Employment Rights Bill.

This blog was written by Elizabeth McGlone, Partner at didlaw

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