Today in the House of Commons, I spoke of my pride of representing a constituency with so many fantastic small businesses, with those in Broxbourne more likely to be small business employers than the national average.
Regrettably, I fear the Government’s Employment Rights Bill will only make it harder for small businesses to grow and hire new employees.
Security in work is of course something that should be available to everyone - but above all it is getting that job in the first place that is the vital step.
Increasing the number of ‘day one’ rights will leader to fewer opportunities to kickstart careers, as business owners hesitate when making hiring decisions.
As the Federation of Small Businesses has said, plans to give unfair dismissal rights from day one “will inevitably deter small employers from taking on new people”, by raising the chances of new recruits taking their employer to tribunals, simply because they turn out to be unsuited to the role.
The principle of a qualifying period for workplace rights is sensible and fair, a point the Government must recognise as they have chosen not to reform qualifying periods for several other rights, such as 2 years for statutory redundancy pay.
A balance must be struck, to avoid the burden falling too heavily on either the employer or employee. Small employers especially need the security and confidence that qualifying periods provide.
It is clear that the Government’s plans do not strike that balance, and I will continue to fight for the many small businesses across Broxbourne.
