Labour’s ‘right to switch off’ for workers faces axe this week
Ministers are expected to scrap plans to give people the right to “switch off” outside working hours, according to reports.
The policy, a central part of Sir Keir Starmer’s “A New Deal for Working People” manifesto aimed at strengthening employment rights, would allow workers to ignore work-related emails and calls outside working hours, including the right to refuse to take on extra work at weekends.
Labor has previously said the policy, inspired by models in Ireland and Belgium, would ensure “working from home does not turn into homes that become 24/7 offices”.
Although it is not included in the Employment Bill currently going through Parliament, there have been promises from ministers that it will appear in the future.
But that has now changed, according to the Sunday Times, and ministers are expected to say the policy has been abandoned when they table a series of amendments to the bill next week.
A Government source told the newspaper that “the right to shut down is dead”.
Ministers are said to have made this change to boost business confidence after the budget brought extra costs to employers in the form of increases in national insurance premiums.
The Government source added: “Growth that puts money in people’s pockets is the number one priority of this Government’s change plan.
“This means making Britain the best country in the world to do business, and a key part of that is removing unnecessary barriers.”
The plan received renewed support from Starmer in August, with the prime minister’s deputy spokesman saying: “This is about making sure people have some time to relax.”
“Good employers understand that employees need to be able to switch off to stay motivated and productive, and that a culture of absenteeism can be detrimental to productivity.”
