REC response to Tony Blair intervention on Employment Rights Bill

Commenting on the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change’s intervention on the Employment Rights Bill, Shazia Ejaz, Director of Campaigns at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said:

“The pressure to make the Employment Rights Bill more practical and less damaging for the jobs market is growing from all sides of the political spectrum. The Tony Blair Institute’s warning that part of the biggest changes to work in a generation risk undermining the flexible labour market and economic growth, aligns with business concerns about a lack of pragmatism when it comes to how the Bill will be implemented.

“Understanding what businesses and employers need to invest in their people needs a joined-up approach by government where policies do not cancel each other out. So, amendments to the Bill to instil confidence in employers to hire should be matched by the ability to use Apprenticeship Levy funds for short accredited courses to train staff.

“The Institute’s concerns about the current rigid design of the Apprenticeship Levy are shared by many businesses who would agree that the government should accelerate its plans to shift to a more flexible growth and skills levy.”