MINISTERS must put the work in and understand the damage that taking such a threatening approach to hundreds of thousands of small employers will do

Following the Government’s announcement of amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, Tina McKenzie, Policy Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said:

“The Government has missed an opportunity today to intervene and help businesses cope with Make Work Pay. It needs to focus more on building up businesses’ confidence to hire and grow.

“Ministers must put the work in and understand the damage that taking such a threatening approach to hundreds of thousands of small employers will do. At the end of the day, small business owners are out there trying to grow their businesses, create jobs, and contribute to their communities.

“The chief concerns among small businesses remain the threat of being taken to court as soon as they take a risk hiring someone, the affordability of proposals on sick pay, and the sheer unworkability of other parts of this mass of complex new rules.

“We hope the Government will move from asserting that these changes are pro-business to making that a reality.”