Senior business leaders have welcomed discussions with Angela Rayner over proposals to improve workers' rights as 'positive', but warned the 'devil will be in the detail' of legislation due to be put before Parliament next month.
Ministers have proposed that every worker must be offered a contract reflecting typical hours worked over a 12-week period, but there is concern that metric could lock employers into hours irrespective of seasonal fluctuations. Employers will argue for the hours to be calculated over a longer period to avoid distortions. Businesses also argue that to extend the right from day one, they will need to impose longer probationary periods for new employees so they retain some flexibility.