What Are Your Rights at Work?

Workplace rights have been hard-fought for generations upon generations. Without direct and persistent action from worker advocates and unions, many of the provisions we take for granted today would not be instituted; the five-day working week, the minimum wage, and work-mandated breaks are just some of the landmark rights and policies brought about by industrial action.

Today, unions are once again at the centre of debate as a cost-of-living crisis continues to wrack households across the country. RMT, the rail and maritime union, led the charge with their dispute over pay for rail workers – initiating a large upswelling of united public support against the profiteering actions of private rail networks. The conversation has once again pushed worker’s rights into the spotlight, as more people grow aware of the provisions they should be afforded within salaried employment.

These workers’ rights could well be under fire themselves, as potential revisions to worker’s rights continue to enter government conversations in a UK newly independent from EU law. What are your rights as a worker, and what should you know to advocate for in the event of a challenge to said rights?

Workplace Health and Safety

Health and safety is a provision of evergreen importance to the workplace; employers are required by law to ensure a safe and comfortable workplace for their staff, with specific requirements in place for the handling of certain materials and processes.

Not only are there criminal consequences for an employer’s failure to uphold proper workplace health and safety, but also civil consequences. If a worker suffers a head injury as a result of workplace fault or negligence, they can be liable for head injury compensation via a civil claim.

Sickness and Leave

Perhaps the most important modern-day right afforded to you as a worker relates to sickness. Illness and injury are unfortunate but unavoidable and often require time away for rest and recovery. Employment law requires your employer to grant you time away for recovery, and Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) should you meet the criteria. Your job is also safe during injury, as discrimination law prevents employers from letting you go as a result of your injury.

Holidays

Employment law also entitles the vast majority of workers to 28 days of holiday a year, which equates to 5.6 weeks of holiday in accordance with the five-day working week. There are those on zero-hour contracts that accrue holiday hours proportional to the hours they work, while part-time workers see their holiday pro-rated in proportion with their contracted hours.

Flexible Working

Lastly, a relatively new right for workers has emerged in the form of flexible working, and the ‘statutory application’. This new provision seeks to redress the balance for workers that struggle with the conventional hours and requirements of the average office. For example, a wheelchair user might struggle to navigate the office or city in which they are based and request the opportunity to work from home instead. Employers must explore and answer these requests in a reasonable manner.