Committee backtracks over 'workers' entitlements

The Committee for Employment and Learning has revealed that they may shelve plans to widen the numbers of people eligible to claim parental employment rights.

Last session, the Committee recommended that the scope of the Bill be widened in the definition of people eligible for such benefits by moving from the term “employee” to “worker”. This emphasis on workers, said the Committee, could mean up to 5% more people would benefit from such provisions as women may be disproportionately represented amongst this group.

It is anticipated that, should the Bill become law, it would provide extended maternity leave, as well as new rights to paternity and adoption leave and pay, and also a right for parents to request flexibility in working hours.

However, the Committee may now move away from that definition as it could conflict with social security legislation.

Dr Esmond Birnie MLA, Chairman of the Assembly Committee for Employment and Learning, said: “A variety of evidence presented to the Committee implied that such a change, whatever its attractiveness or otherwise in principle, would not be practicable at this time. This is partly because previous and parallel Social Security legislation would also require amendment.

He added: "This may be an impossible task in the short time remaining to the life of this assembly. And there are also the difficulties posed by delivering the social benefits to individuals defined as “workers” in relation to National Insurance contributions.

Dr Birnie said that the Committee remains committed to a full investigation of the principles of wider extension of employment rights – to perhaps allow better consideration of the position of agency/temp workers.

“The Committee did agree that it would assist the public understanding of this Bill if it was renamed the 'Parental Employment Rights Act'. Perhaps the Northern Ireland Assembly should depart from the Westminster convention of very short, generic titles and instead use ones which actually give some description of the contents of legislation," he added.

(GMcG)