This is what the conservative and labour wages policies mean for salons

Published 03rd Oct 2019 by akesha
This is what the conservative and labour wages policies mean for salons The impending possibility of a general election and the turmoil of Brexit means that the political parties are drawing their line on what voters can expect should they take hold of leadership. Laying out their wages policies as well as increasing the rights of employees and making sure those rights are properly enforced, it's certain that big changes are coming and salon owners are sure to be affected.

Wages – Conservatives vs Labour

Both parties are looking to increase the minimum wage, but for different age groups: Conservatives – Will increase National Living Wage to £10.50 for 21-year olds and over within 5 years. Labour – Will increase National Living Wage to £10 for 16-year olds and over in 2020.

In their policies each party also outlined the following:

Conservatives

-Employers providing more support to get people with disabilities or long-term health conditions back into work, which could include phased returns to work, workplace modifications to meet the needs of disabled employees, seeking occupational health advice and other steps before an employee could be fairly dismissed on the grounds of ill health. -Increasing the qualifying threshold for statutory sick pay (SSP) – currently £118 per week - to bring more employees into scope, particularly part-time workers. Employers will have to provide written information from day one on eligibility for sick leave and pay. There are also proposals to give small businesses a sick pay rebate for those who manage employees on sick leave and successfully get them back into work. -Additional parental leave rights to help parents combine childcare and work and for parents of babies which need neonatal care after birth. -Encouraging employers to consider if jobs can be done flexibly and, for employers with more than 250 employees to publish their family-related leave, pay and flexible working policies.

Labour

-Ending zero hours contracts and banning unpaid internships. -Employers would take part in ‘sectoral collective bargaining’ where trade unions and employers would negotiate agreements on minimum terms, conditions and standards on a sector-by-sector basis. -Establishing a Ministry for Employment Rights and a Workers’ Protection Agency to enforce rights, standards and protections. -Create a single status of ‘worker’ for everyone apart from the genuinely self-employed. On the possible changes NHF/NBF chief executive Hilary Hall is most concerned on the impact it will have on employers. "Both parties are focussed on protecting workers’ rights, but there hasn’t been enough recognition that these policies mean employers will have further costs to absorb. At present, businesses wanting to reduce their costs can switch to self-employment – but that leaves the salons who employ their staff at a huge financial disadvantage compared to those who don’t employ anyone. We have written to all three main parties calling for them to come up with a clear definition on what ‘genuine self-employment’ means as a matter of urgency," she said.
akesha

akesha

Published 03rd Oct 2019

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