Workplace rights threat

The coalition government has published more details of how it intends to attack the mechanisms by which workers’ rights are enforced.

Edward Davey, a junior minister at the business, innovation and skills (BIS) department gave Parliament details of BIS’s latest discussion paper Flexible, effective, fair: promoting economic growth through a strong and efficient labour market. The paper is part of the government’s Red Tape Challenge.

Unsurprisingly, the proposals include a whole range of suggestions as to how to do down workers. Davey, in his statement to Parliament, particularly focused on plans to change the workplace rights enforcement mechanism.

Davey admitted that he was in favour of looking for ways to cut back on enforcement and is keen to find out “whether the risk associated with particular workplace rights still warrants government enforcement”.

BIS also invited comments by the 19 October on how the “fear factor” in recruitment can be reduced and how management can be improved.

The situation for the beleaguered civil servants who are engaged in the important work of enforcing workplace rights, is also ominous.

Davey commented that he was concerned that there is “duplication of activity between the different enforcement bodies”. It is clear that the government is preparing for yet further drastic cutbacks under the guise of a new single “fair employment agency”.