Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to encourage employers to offer flexible working schemes for all employees.
Answered by Claire Perry
All employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer already have the right to request Flexible Working. This accounts for over 90% of employees.
The Government would like there to be more opportunities for flexible working, which is why we will consult on creating a duty for employers to consider whether a job can be done flexibly, and to make that clear when advertising.
The Government is also looking to work with employers on a voluntary basis. A taskforce to promote flexible working has been established. This is comprised of representatives from across Whitehall, from key organisations like Carers UK and Working Families, the TUC and key business groups. The taskforce is tackling key questions around flexible working which are key to improving the recruitment, retention and progression of key groups in the workforce.
The Government is committed to ensuring that the existing “right to request” legislation continues to have the desired impact. As part of this general commitment, it will be reviewed in 2020.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to increase the pay of workers in the (a) hospitality and (b) retail sectors.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government is committed to building an economy that works for everyone. We demonstrated this commitment in April by raising the National Living Wage to £8.21, a 4.9% increase from last year, and bringing in inflation-beating rises to the National Minimum Wage. An estimated 2.1 million workers will benefit from the most recent increases, and the annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage worker have increased by over £2,750 since the introduction of the National Living Wage in April 2016. Latest constituency estimates from April 2018 suggest that 2,900 workers in Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill were on one of the minimum wage rates.
We estimate that in the UK 429,000 workers in the hospitality sector and 347,000 workers in the retail sector will benefit from the increases in the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage from 1 April 2019.
The industry-led Retail Sector Council recently agreed its priority work areas for the next two years, one of which focuses on employment protections. A senior industry figure will lead each of these work groups and bring proposals for action for both industry and Government back to the Council for consideration. The Tourism Industry Council is also working closely with Government Ministers to help improve in-work training and progression opportunities in the tourism and hospitality sector.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all workers on trial periods are paid.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
National Minimum Wage (NMW) legislation proscribes unpaid work trials that are excessive and not part of a legitimate recruitment process.
This Government is committed to cracking down on employers who fail to pay the National Minimum or Living Wage. In the last 3 years we have almost doubled HMRC’s budget to enforce the NMW from £13.2 million to a record £26.3 million. In the 2017/18 financial year, HMRC identified a record £15.6 million in arrears for over 200,00 workers.
In December 2018, the Government published new work trials guidance that clarifies the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers.
Anyone who is concerned about an unpaid work trial can seek advice from ACAS which offers tailored advice and refers cases to HMRC, which considers every worker complaint received.