Make Work Pay

Make Work Pay and the associated Employment Right’s Bill is the UK Government’s plan to strengthen employment rights. The new legislation was announced in the King’s Speech, and the Government have committed to consult before introducing the Bill in this parliament.  

Measures in the legislation include:    

• Ending “Exploitative” Zero-Hours Contracts (ZHC) 
• Move Towards a Single Status of Worker 
• Genuine Living Wage 
• Repealing Trade Union legislation from the Conservative government 
• Maternity Discrimination 
• Health and Safety at Work 

SOLT & UK Theatre members take their responsibilities as employers seriously and we are keen to work closely and constructively with the Government to ensure that the strong and healthy employment relations the sector already enjoys are protected by preventing unintended consequences of Make Work Pay. The unique nature of theatre work means that we want to ensure our industry is not disproportionately impacted. 

To achieve this, we have written a briefing which: 

• Provides background information on the theatre sector and the financial pressures it faces; 
• Details the unique employment practices within the theatre sector that benefit both employees as well as employers; and 
• Identifies specific aspects of the Make Work Pay initiative that require careful consideration to prevent damaging unintended consequences on theatre sector employees and employers. 

We have also written a rapid analysis of the Bill which was published on Thursday 10 October and a briefing to support MPs who intend to speak in the 2nd reading debate of the Employment Rights Bill, taking place on Monday 21 October.

We also hosted an interactive webinar for members to talk about the issues that Make Work Pay covers, and the changes SOLT & UK Theatre calling for to prevent unintended consequences. 

Members can watch the webinar below.