Political Monitor | July 14th Edition

Parliament, Employment Rights Act & Sector Regulation 

Employment Rights Act and Sector Regulations 

Make Work Pay Consultation: Holiday Pay Compliance and Enforcement. This consultation is now live until 22nd September 2026. It is seeking views on the proposed approach to enforcement of statutory holiday pay, including how the Fair Work Agency will uphold compliance and support workers and businesses. We will be consulting and making a submission.

There is a further Make Work Pay consultation on workplace monitoring technologies open until 30th September 2026.

The Make Work Pay consultation page also provides links to consultations on codes of practice relevant to the changes affecting Trade Unions and employers, including greater rights of access.

We held our consultation meeting on the Guaranteed Hours consultation today with members. Members are urged to make their own submissions and should still get in touch with tania.bowers@apsco.org to discuss.

Parliament and Consultations

Yesterday the Commons debated the Immigration and Asylum Bill (Second Reading), the Government’s new legislation on immigration, asylum, and modern slavery. (House of Commons Library briefing).

Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill (Third Reading) Peers looked yesterday at final amendments to the Government’s legislation to enable Ministers to bring steel undertakings into public ownership. The bill returns to the Commons later in the week. (House of Lords Library briefing). It is likely to be passed before summer recess.

The much-publicised Timms review of personal independence welfare payments was published last week. Around 10 million working-age people report living with a disability – equivalent to 24% of the working-age population, compared with under 17% in 2013/14. There have been greater increases in the prevalence of disability among young people and a rise in mental health conditions. Government states that actions must consider how PIP can remain sustainable within fixed financial limits and support future generations. Welfare will be key to the budget and any spending announcement in the Autumn as Burnham navigates the early days of his new premiership.

The Women in Tech Taskforce published its report on women in tech. Across the responses, participants consistently identified the need for action across the career lifecycle, including improving access to skills and training, creating more inclusive workplace cultures, supporting flexible and non-linear career pathways, and ensuring that the opportunities within the sector are accessible to all.