Responding to the unveiling of the Government’s legislation on employment reform, Jane Gratton, Deputy Director of Public Policy at the BCC, said:

“This is the biggest shake up of employment law in decades. These are huge changes and businesses must be engaged and supported on them every step of the way.

“If the right balance is struck then we have the potential to get more people into work and boost economic growth. But if the process is mishandled there is a danger these changes could have the opposite effect.

“It is important to stress that the legislation we are seeing today is a starting point. It is setting out a framework, and the detail and the mechanics of how this will operate will still need much further consultation.

“Many of these changes are going to need secondary legislation and it’s unlikely we’ll see major changes to business practices until 2026.

“But firms will want to see more detail on the timeline for these reforms and guarantees that there will be no surprises.

“We all recognise that a thriving workforce is more productive and that drives growth. We will continue to work with Government and the unions to ensure that a balance is reached. One that encourages businesses to recruit and has the right support for employees.”