Labour’s ‘right to switch off’ faces axe this week
The plan was a central part of the Labour manifesto promise of a ‘New Deal for Working People’
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Ministers are expected to axe plans to give people a right to “switch off” outside work hours, reports have suggested.
The policy - which was a central part of Sir Keir Starmer’s manifesto promise of a “New Deal for Working People” aimed at strengthening employment rights - would allow workers to ignore work-related emails and calls outside office hours, including the right to refuse to take on extra work at the weekends.
Labour had previously said the policy, inspired by models in Ireland and Belgium, would ensure that “working from home does not become homes turning into 24/7 offices”.
While it did not appear in the Employment Bill which is currently making its way through Parliament, there were promises from ministers it would emerge in future.
However, that has now changed, and ministers are expected to say in the coming week that the policy has been dropped, when they table a series of amendments to the Bill, according to the Sunday Times newspaper.
A Government source told the newspaper the “right to switch off is dead”.
Ministers are said to be making the change in a bid to boost business confidence, after the Budget placed extra costs on employers in the form of the national insurance contributions hike.
The Government source added: “Growth that puts money in people’s pockets is the number one priority of this Government’s plan for change.
“That means making Britain the best country in the world to do business and a key part of that is removing unnecessary barriers.”
The plan had received renewed backing from Starmer in August, with the prime minister’s deputy spokesperson saying: “This is about ensuring people have some time to rest.”
“Good employers understand that for workers to stay motivated and productive they do need to be able to switch off, and a culture presenteeism can be damaging to productivity.”