EU Employment Laws to be repealed in December 2023

MLP’s Head of Employment, Gareth Matthews, provides an update on a recently announced piece of legislation, which will serve to remove all EU law from the statute books by December 2023.

The, somewhat clunkily named, Retained EU (Revocation and Reform) Bill will automatically cancel all domestic UK laws that have their roots in EU law on 31 December 2023 (although there is the possibility for an extension until December 2026).

Some of the traditional pillars of employment law will therefore be affected, including TUPE legislation and some Working Time regulations, like the 48 hour working week and the right to paid holiday. Similarly, protections afforded to fixed term and part-time workers will also be repealed.

The government will then have to introduce specific legislation in these areas to carve out the UK’s legal approach, which may mean that certain areas will not be subject to similar, current levels of regulation, if any, and may not be replaced. Indeed, Kwasi Kwarteng, the Chancellor, has heralded the legislation in his speech to the Tory party conference as helping to remove hurdles to business growth through deregulation.

We will, of course, provide any updates as they are published so watch this space…

If you would like advice from the Employment team at MLP Law in respect of any of the issues raised here or more generally, please do not hesitate to get in touch on 0161 926 9969 or employment@mlplaw.co.uk, or follow us on Twitter @HRHeroUK.