Latest news with #GoodJobsBill
Belfast Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Gerry Murphy: Top 100 Companies reminds us all of what's at stake in Good Jobs Bill
We also noticed Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald's comments that the 'work we are taking forward on the Good Jobs Employment Rights Bill is crucial for creating sustainable employment opportunities and boosting the local economy'. 'It will help ensure fair wages, better working conditions and job security for workers.' We, of course, agree and noted too that most of the companies in the Belfast Telegraph Top 100 are unionised or practicing the kind of good relations and conditions for their employees that the minister aspires to achieve in her Good Jobs Bill. In short, and despite some scaremongering about the 'cost to business', successful companies have little to fear from having trade unions about the place, or the work-life balance measures coming into law in Great Britain with Labour's Employment Rights Bill and proposed for our devolved 'Good Jobs' legislation. 'Decent work aids retention and loyalty is the reward a respected member of staff extends to a good employer' Most of the list of NI's most profitable companies recognise trade unions and set terms and conditions for their staff through collective bargaining agreements. These cover substantial numbers of our working population. As Manufacturing NI's Stephen Kelly pointed out 'whilst 1% of manufacturers are large (more than 250 employees), they account for almost half of employment and more than half of turnover' in that sector. Additionally, many of the companies listed have in their existing employment contracts many of the rights and entitlements proposed for all workers in the Good Jobs Bill, such as family-friendly policies like maternal, parental and bereavement leave. These companies face no surprises from Dr Archibald's proposals. These proposed policies will only be a concern for a minority of employers who hope for some competitive edge over the many decent bosses at the expense of their workers. But these perceptions get noted, not least by workers who are aware that the grass is often greener with some other, better, boss. Decent work aids retention and loyalty is the reward a respected member of staff extends to a good employer. It should also be noted that we have been focused on NI-headquartered companies. And impressive as they are, they are not the only large employers here. Many are international, such as Spirit, Allstate, Citibank, Seagate, Thales and Santander. Some are based in the Republic, such as Dunnes, Primark, First Trust and Bank of Ireland. More are headquartered in GB, and most of these unionised companies are also preparing for similar changes with the Labour government's Employment Rights Bill, presently at an advanced stage and likely to be in statute within a year. Indeed, many of the aspects proposed in the NI 'Good Jobs' Bill are already in statute in GB. The Department for the Economy consultation process completed last summer contained 31 proposals. Of these, 19 are proposals that will simply bring NI into line with GB. They are largely uncontroversial and will not pose any significant cost or administrative burden on businesses here. Indeed, most were passed by Conservative governments at Westminster. The remaining 12 proposals in the proposed NI legislation are currently under active consideration by the Labour Government and ensure that working people in NI will not be left behind again. Polling in GB has shown the Employment Rights Bill to be one of the few widely popular policies of the Starmer administration. This legislation demonstrates the NI Assembly getting around to (after a few suspensions) using its devolved powers over employment law for the first time since 2016. So, the proposed Labour Party legislation at Westminster will shortly be, in the employment contracts of GB firms such as Tesco, Concentrix, Bamford Bus Company (Wrightbus), Four Seasons, G4S, Sainsbury's, Boots, PwC, Lloyds, Asda and BT. This is not intended to sound like an endorsement of all of these employers. Some are hostile to unions and many have been caught up in the wave of industrial action brought on by the cost of living crisis since 2022. At the same time, those firms which did have disputes all reached resolution because of direct negotiations with the trade unions representing their staff. Most pay issues in the private sector were amicably settled with a great deal less stress than the situation we all experienced here across the public sector under the last belligerent Conservative government. The Good Jobs bill deserves to be taken to the MLAs we elected in our devolved Assembly, to be debated and discussed, its merits measured and amended if needed by local politicians accountable to an electorate who we firmly believe, support the proposals for better and fairer workplaces.
Belfast Telegraph
04-05-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Plan to overhaul Northern Ireland employment law ‘does not go far enough'
Susan Fitzgerald said the Good Jobs Bill was 'far from a revolutionary document' and the implementation of the legislation involves a long transitional period. Last week, Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald said the 'ambitious' proposals in the Bill included tackling zero-hour contracts, improvements to family-related leave and strengthened rights for trade unions. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. The proposals also aimed to enhance protections for agency workers, ensure tips were passed on to staff in full and introduce easier access to flexible working arrangements. Ms Fitzgerald, Unite Ireland regional secretary, said the union is discussing the minister's proposals with union representatives and activists. 'We will be guided by the discussions we have with workers, who will be on the receiving end or otherwise of the proposals,' she told BBC NI's Sunday Politics show. 'I suppose our point is it's far from a revolutionary document, to be fair, where it doesn't go far enough from a trading perspective, or hasn't addressed at all. 'But there's no question that, you just take a sample of some of the items – tips, flexible working opportunities, neonatal leave and pay for pregnant workers, protections against unfair redundancy for pregnant workers, movement on zero hour contracts, movement on fire and rehire – I actually don't know how anyone can disagree with any of those areas. 'I think one of the key things for us now is what are – in some cases mostly just headlines – is getting behind the detail of what we need to see implemented. 'But I have to say an area of concern is – maybe it's an attempt to reassure people – but it's the proposal to have what feels like a long transition period, and presumably that would only commence after the process has gone through Stormont. That's not good enough. 'It's actually unconscionable to say to someone, we know your rights are not currently protected, we know you're not currently being treated with respect, You're currently very vulnerable, but bear with, we don't want to scare the horses.' Suzanne Wylie, chief executive of NI Chamber, said that a 'very complex' set of regulations of codes of practice are being proposed. 'It is, as the minister has said, the biggest overhaul in employment law in decades, and so our businesses across Northern Ireland really need to be prepared for that,' she said. 'There's a lot in these, and this is really about putting right these proposals. There's a lot more to the creation of good jobs than just aspect of employee rights.' Ms Wylie said that similar legislation is going through Westminster, which is estimated to cost businesses some £5 billion. 'If we think about the challenges that businesses here are facing at this point with increases in tax, increases in minimum wage, living wage, etc, AI, that's disrupting how we work our days, the cost of energy, etc. Really, really challenging time for business. 'We really do have to think about how these proposals are going to be implemented, and how that balance will be achieved between ensuring that we have viable businesses that can grow and a growing economy that we can really create good jobs for the future.'
BreakingNews.ie
04-05-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Plan to overhaul Northern Ireland employment law ‘does not go far enough'
A trade unionist has said that aspects of the plan to update employment law in Northern Ireland 'doesn't go far enough'. Susan Fitzgerald said the Good Jobs Bill was 'far from a revolutionary document' and the implementation of the legislation involves a long transitional period. Advertisement Last week, Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald said the 'ambitious' proposals in the Bill included tackling zero-hour contracts, improvements to family-related leave and strengthened rights for trade unions. I set out my Good Jobs proposals this week - the biggest upgrade to our employment legislation since the GFA. Good to have the chance to talk to @MarkCarruthers7 on @bbctheview yesterday about how the ambitious proposals will benefit both workers and employers. Catch up👇🏻 — Caoimhe Archibald MLA (@CArchibald_SF) May 2, 2025 The proposals also aimed to enhance protections for agency workers, ensure tips were passed on to staff in full and introduce easier access to flexible working arrangements. Ms Fitzgerald, Unite Ireland regional secretary, said the union is discussing the minister's proposals with union representatives and activists. 'We will be guided by the discussions we have with workers, who will be on the receiving end or otherwise of the proposals,' she told BBC NI's Sunday Politics show. Advertisement 'I suppose our point is it's far from a revolutionary document, to be fair, where it doesn't go far enough from a trading perspective, or hasn't addressed at all. 'But there's no question that, you just take a sample of some of the items – tips, flexible working opportunities, neonatal leave and pay for pregnant workers, protections against unfair redundancy for pregnant workers, movement on zero hour contracts, movement on fire and rehire – I actually don't know how anyone can disagree with any of those areas. 'I think one of the key things for us now is what are – in some cases mostly just headlines – is getting behind the detail of what we need to see implemented. 'But I have to say an area of concern is – maybe it's an attempt to reassure people – but it's the proposal to have what feels like a long transition period, and presumably that would only commence after the process has gone through Stormont. That's not good enough. Advertisement 'It's actually unconscionable to say to someone, we know your rights are not currently protected, we know you're not currently being treated with respect, You're currently very vulnerable, but bear with, we don't want to scare the horses.' Suzanne Wylie, chief executive of NI Chamber, said that a 'very complex' set of regulations of codes of practice are being proposed. 'It is, as the minister has said, the biggest overhaul in employment law in decades, and so our businesses across Northern Ireland really need to be prepared for that,' she said. 'There's a lot in these, and this is really about putting right these proposals. There's a lot more to the creation of good jobs than just aspect of employee rights.' Advertisement Ms Wylie said that similar legislation is going through Westminster, which is estimated to cost businesses some £5 billion. 'If we think about the challenges that businesses here are facing at this point with increases in tax, increases in minimum wage, living wage, etc, AI, that's disrupting how we work our days, the cost of energy, etc. Really, really challenging time for business. 'We really do have to think about how these proposals are going to be implemented, and how that balance will be achieved between ensuring that we have viable businesses that can grow and a growing economy that we can really create good jobs for the future.'
Belfast Telegraph
28-04-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Employment law plans most significant since Good Friday Argreement
Caoimhe Archibald said the 'ambitious' proposals in the Good Jobs Bill included tackling zero-hour contracts, improvements to family-related leave and strengthened rights for trade unions. The proposals also aimed to enhance protections for agency workers, ensure tips were passed on to workers in full and easier access to flexible working arrangements. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) welcomed the proposals and said it provided an opportunity for the Executive to create 'a meaningful legacy for every working family in Northern Ireland'. Retail NI said it was important the legislation did not overburden small businesses, while People Before Profit said the Bill was 'underwhelming'. Ms Archibald outlined the proposals in her employment legislation to the Assembly on Monday, and said it marked 'a significant milestone'. It follows on from a public consultation carried out last year which sought views on updating employment law. 'It is the start of a process which will see the biggest upgrade to our employment legislation since the Good Friday Agreement,' she said. 'The proposals that I am bringing forward today are ambitious but I believe they are balanced in terms of being effective for both workers and for businesses. 'We had a consultation period and over 190 responses and that gave us a really good insight into the views of both employers and workers and students and beyond. 'The proposals we have brought forward have been shaped by what we have been told. 'They are wide ranging, they include the banning of exploitative zero-hours contracts, enhanced access to family-related leave, increased flexibility for workers, increased and strengthened rights for trade unions. 'I believe that this is an ambitious programme of work.' ICTU assistant general secretary Gerry Murphy said: 'The NI Executive has the opportunity to create a meaningful legacy for every working family in Northern Ireland by approving a new employment bill for the NI Assembly and its Economy Committee to debate its proposals and amend as necessary, all the way from first reading to royal assent.' He added: 'Much of what is proposed isn't radical — it represents basic, long-overdue modernisation to bring Northern Ireland's employment rights in line with standards already in place in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. 'It's important to be clear that this is not the final Bill. The real test will come in whether these proposals lead to strong, enforceable rights that deliver for working people.' Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said it was 'important' that the Bill 'works for businesses and employees alike'. 'Many of our members have had concerns with new employment laws in the past that created more bureaucracy and paperwork,' he said. 'It is vital that this is not the case with this proposed legislation. 'Given that many small businesses and independent retailers are struggling with the 'cost-of-doing-business crisis', we will be working to ensure that that the Good Jobs Bill does not add to that burden.' People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll called the Bill 'underwhelming' and 'a modest step in the right direction'. 'However, this can fairly be characterised as a 'catch-up' Bill, rather than an effort to genuinely end exploitation and oppression in the workplace,' he said. 'A majority of the proposals are designed to make sure workers in the north benefit from the same basic protections recently introduced – or soon to come into force – in Britain. 'The minister has refused to implement an outright ban on zero-hours contracts, as promised in New Decade, New Approach. 'Carers will be let down by the proposal for just one week of unpaid leave per year, and left out of pocket for caring for a loved one. 'The mislabelled 'right to disconnect' will be established through a code of practice, rather than enshrined in law.' He added: 'This is a missed opportunity to shift the balance of power away from bosses and towards workers, and establish the conditions for sectoral collective bargaining.'
