UNISON
UNISON
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paid time off , this can lead to longer term impacts on health and wellbeing , which impact on people ’ s ability to stay in work .
Protection from discrimination and harassment
The bill will increase protections from sexual harassment in the workplace , introduce gender pay gap action plans , strengthen protections for workers through menopause and strengthen rights for pregnant workers .
Workplace sexual harassment is a systemic problem , with three in five working women reporting that they have experienced it .
The Worker Protection Act 2023 already provides significant new protections from sexual harassment , including an obligation for employers to take reasonable steps to protect their employees from harassment .
The bill will fortify this by creating a duty for employers to take ‘ all ’ reasonable steps to protect employees . UNISON hopes this will include measures to address third party harassment from contractors , customers and clients .
Meanwhile , the bill will require employers with more than 250 employees to create ‘ equality action plans ’ that outline measures to close their gender pay gap and support employees going through the menopause .
UNISON has already won significant agreements with many public sector employers to introduce UNISON ’ s own model menopause policy , but the bill will ensure that employers in the private and independent sectors must also take action .
According to the Women ’ s Budget Group , the most widespread employment law issue women seek help with is pregnancy and maternity discrimination . The bill will also protect pregnant workers from redundancy for up to six months on return to work .
This new protection from dismissal is a significant win , which will provide women with the security of employment in the vital early months after a baby ’ s birth . This is set to drastically improve the lives of new mothers .
Zero and low-hour contracts
In the UK , one in five workers are in severely insecure work , facing a mix of low pay , unpredictable hours , poor protections and limited career progression .
Zero-hour contracts are symptomatic of the deep imbalances of power in the labour market and the ability of unscrupulous employers to exploit vulnerability to enforce a oneway flexibility .
The government has stated its intention to rebalance the scales and ensure everyone has the right to have a guaranteed hours contract that reflects the number of hours they regularly work , based on a 12-week reference period .
If these measures go ahead , they will most improve the working lives of Black women , who , according to TUC research , are three times more likely to be working zero-hours contracts than white men .
The bill also introduces a right to a reasonable notice of shifts and payment for shift cancellation and curtailment at short notice for those who opt to remain on zero-hour and low-hour contracts .
More than 40 % of insecure workers earning less than £ 18,000 a year said they were in their current job due to limitations including lack of available childcare . New regulations on flexible working and low-hour contracts will drastically improve job security for these workers .
UNISON national officer for equalities Josie Irwin says : ‘ Labour ’ s Employment Rights Bill is a big step towards women ’ s equality in the workplace . Lack of flexible work currently locks too many women out of work , especially mothers and carers , and is a factor in the gender pay gap . ‘ More opportunities for working flexibly means women would be able to take on more paid work . Ending exploitative zero-hour contracts would provide much-needed job security , particularly in sectors where women are overrepresented , such as social care . The bill could be a genuine game-changer and is long overdue .’
Protecting you at work
For help and advice at work – or to find out more about UNISON services – please contact your local BAOT / UNISON rep , branch https :// branches . unison . org . uk / or go to www . unison . org . uk / get-help /.
If you need help at work 0800 0857 857 or www . unison . org . uk
January 2025 OTnews 15