ACS has written to new Business Secretary Peter Kyle MP, urging the Government to consider Lords amendments to the Employment Rights Bill that would make the Bill more workable and pragmatic for local shops and other businesses.
The Employment Rights Bill, first published in October 2024, set out 28 employment reforms aimed at meeting the Government’s manifesto commitment to ‘make work pay’.
In the letter, ACS highlights the flexibility and security that convenience stores already provide to the 443,000 people that work in the convenience sector. The amendments that have been proposed by the Lords would define ‘short notice’ for shift cancellations as less than 48 hours and would change a requirement to offer guaranteed hours into a right for employees to request guaranteed hours.
Figures from the 2025 ACS Colleague Survey show that 96% of people working in the convenience sector have a permanent contract, with 53% contracted to work full time hours. The Colleague Survey also shows that 72% of colleagues have never had a shift cancelled.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We welcome the protections that the Employment Rights Bill provides workers, but the Bill must also be pragmatic for convenience retailers running a business. There is widespread support in the business community for amendments put forward by the Lords that would ensure that the Bill is both pro-worker and pro-business, and we encourage the Business Secretary to consider supporting them in Parliament.”
Measures set to be introduced in the Employment Rights Bill include:
- Ending exploitative zero hours contracts
- Giving greater protections against unfair dismissal from day one of employment
- Day one rights for paternity, parental and bereavement leave for workers
- Changing the law to make flexible working the default for all, unless the employer can prove it’s unreasonable
- Requiring employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent third-party harassment in the workplace
- Requiring reasonable notice for shift changes
The Employment Rights Bill has almost completed its journey through Parliament, with final amendments being considered before the Bill receives Royal Assent and becomes law. ACS gave evidence to a parliamentary committee on the Bill in November 2024, urging the Government to ensure that the Bill avoids unnecessary bureaucracy at a time when retailers are under pressure to make their businesses as productive as possible.
The full letter to the Secretary of State can be found here
