Which battlegrounds will shape Britain’s trip to the polls this June?
Prime minister Theresa May’s decision to call a snap general election on 8 June has sent the UK’s political parties scrambling to complete their manifestos and polish their pledges to the electorate. And while the election will be fought on various issues, some of the most divisive are likely to concern the world of work:
Brexit
The way Britain’s exit from the EU unfolds has major implications for the availability of both migrant and (in some industries) highly skilled, globally mobile employees, not to mention the potential for major financial institutions to relocate huge numbers of jobs elsewhere.
While we know the government expects to exit the single market, which would end freedom of movement and surely lead to an overall contraction in immigration, it has indicated there will be specific rules and exceptions for individual sectors. The Liberal Democrats, by contrast, have pledged to keep current regulations around immigration in place and to keep the number of immigrants “steady”.
Education and skills
The CIPD’s response to the government’s call for an industrial strategy emphasises the need to invest more broadly in workplace skills. The Conservatives have already unveiled a new vocational training regime, but other parties will have the chance to set out their own stalls in the weeks ahead.
Luke Raikes, senior research fellow and economy lead at the Institute for Public Policy Research North, says politicians should use their “substantial power” to require a broader range of businesses to “invest in apprenticeships, training and progression, and have a flexible hiring policy to help people back into work, especially parents”.
Meanwhile, Stephen Evans, chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute, believes that focusing on technical education, high-quality apprenticeships and better support to help people find work is key to building a new economy.
Employment rights
When worker protections derived from the EU are incorporated into UK law, it becomes possible to repeal or amend elements of them – the Working Time Directive and TUPE have been mentioned in this breath. While all major parties have said they will maintain or extend employee protection in general, there are likely to be major divisions in the substance of their suggestions.
Wages and working conditions
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has already pledged a £10 per hour minimum wage by 2020 should he be elected prime minister. The Conservatives are pointing to the national living wage as one of the major achievements of their reign. Measures to support working parents and carers in particular may be a feature of the campaign, but parties may also have something to say on executive pay.
Tax
The Conservatives could revisit their commitment not to increase income tax or national insurance before 2020, something Philip Hammond attempted in his spring budget. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has suggested anyone earning more than £70,000 should expect to pay more tax, though it remains to be seen what this will mean in reality.
“While we await the specific details of what each party is proposing in its manifesto, there is no doubt that many of the issues in this election should focus on the world of work,” says CIPD chief executive Peter Cheese.
“Whether that’s skills investment, immigration, diversity in the workplace or executive pay, the election presents an exciting opportunity to debate the future of our country in the context of Brexit – but also more broadly in terms of the challenges and opportunities we are facing. The CIPD will look to play an active role in helping shape the debate to champion better work and working lives.”