In your corner - REC Campaigns and Policy news 6 October

Yesterday marked the one-month anniversary of Liz Truss’s premiership. How much has happened in that period surprises many of us. The most immediate thing that the government did, following the National Period of Mourning, was the fiscal statement to respond to the energy and cost-of-living crisis. It was full of tax cuts and reversals of many measures introduced by previous Conservative governments. And it included a number of actions that the REC and our members have long been calling for.  

The Corporation tax rise scrapped. The National Insurance increase short lived. The Energy Relief Scheme for businesses announced. These are welcome measures that will provide much-needed confidence for members. We also need to see long-term support to drive investment and growth. Plus, the announcement missed the chance to announce a reform of the apprenticeship levy and working time directive.  

There was change on IR35 as well and we are listening to member feedback which is mixed. We know we have to get more clarity on what will come in its place.   

The REC has recorded our initial analysis and reaction to the fiscal statement. You can watch the podcast from the team here and read our statement here. As always, we are itching to hear your views. Get in touch with policy@rec.uk.com to share your thoughts on the mini-budget and points that you’d like us to take on board.  

On a separate note, the REC had a fantastic party conference season in Liverpool and Birmingham. We enjoyed connecting with members, networking with stakeholders and speaking at fringe events on behalf of our members. More on that below so keep scrolling and enjoy the update.  

The REC represents the industry at party conferences  

REC colleagues attended Labour and Conservative party conferences and hosted a fringe event at each. This year, we partnered with WorldSkills UK, an organisation championing better standards in apprenticeships and technical education.  

At Labour Conference, REC CEO Neil Carberry sat down with Toby Perkins MP, Shadow Minister for Skills and Further Education, along with Josie Cluer from EY, Paul Nowak from TUC and Emma Roberts from WorldSkills UK. The panel agreed that the apprenticeship levy needs to be much more flexible and that it’s crucial for departments and various sectors to collaborate to provide the skills that the UK’s labour market needs.  

The REC couldn’t avoid the impact of train strikes. Sadly, Kate Shoesmith our Deputy CEO was unable to get to Birmingham because of last minute train cancellations but Campaigns Manager Samantha Beggs did a great job in her place on the panel. There was a good discussion on skills, jobs and prosperity with James Kirkup from Social Market Foundation, Paul Swinney from Centre for Cities, Jo Maher from Loughborough College, Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE from WorldSkills UK and Naomi Phillips from Learning and Work Institute.  

Sunsetting of EU Law 

As part of the mini budget, the sunsetting of the majority of retained EU law was confirmed. This means UK legislation based on retained EU law such as the Working Time Regulations (WTR) or Agency Worker Regulation will expire on 31 Dec 2023 unless otherwise preserved. The REC will be working with BEIS to influence on how to manage that in a way that works for members and reflects modern working practices. You will be hearing more from us on this work and we will need your support to help us influence government.  REC has already spoken to BEIS about the need for clarity on the WTR following Harpur Trust v Brazel. 

The REC writes to the heads of key departments 

Following the National Period of Mourning, the REC has started our engagement with the new Cabinet members. So far, we’ve written to Secretaries of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education. We will also be engaging with ministers in the coming days.  

Health and social care sector meeting 

The last sector meeting of the year for health and social care members is taking place next Tuesday 11 October from 1pm – 2:30pm. All members across the sector are encouraged to register here. We will hear from BEIS on care sector inspections, HMRC on an update on umbrella companies and Amiqus, an approved IDVT provider, on digital Right to Work checks. The REC teams will also be present, updating our members on the latest from the campaigns and legal teams.  

Research Corner 

Last week we issued the latest Labour Market Tracker report outlining the number of vacancies across the UK. There were 143,000 new job postings in late September – similar to levels seen in April 2022. There were 1.45 million active job adverts in the UK – lower than any point since the pandemic, but still a high level relative to before the pandemic. There were notable increases for education related roles. For more details on the report see here.  

Do also keep an eye out for the KPMG and Rec Report on Jobs figures published tomorrow.