Tag: Business and Trade Department

• Millions of workers will have a say over their working patterns as Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill achieves Royal Assent.
• Government-backed law gives all workers the legal right to request a predictable working pattern encouraging workers to begin conversations with their employers.
• Follows a wave of wins for workers after a record National Minimum Wage uplift and boosts to employment protections for parents and unpaid carers.

Workers right across the country will be given more say over their working patterns thanks to new laws supported by the Department for Business and Trade.

Receiving Royal Assent overnight, the Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill, brought forward by Blackpool South MP Scott Benton and Baroness Anderson and supported by the Government, gives individuals on atypical contracts – including those on zero hours contracts – more predictable working hours. It delivers on a 2019 Manifesto commitment to introduce a right for workers to request a more predictable contract.

Zero hours contracts – and other forms of atypical work – are an important part of the UK’s flexible labour market; however, the Government is determined to tackle unfair working practices.

The Predictable Working Act introduces a right for workers to request a more predictable working pattern, intending to redress the imbalance of power between some employers and workers in atypical work, encouraging workers to begin conversations with their employers about their working patterns.

Business and Trade Minister Kevin Hollinrake said:

Although zero hours contracts can often suit workers who want to work flexibly and employers whose needs vary, it is unfair for anyone to have to put their lives on hold to make themselves available for shifts that may never actually come – this Act helps to end the guessing game.

A happier workforce means increased productivity, helping in turn to grow the economy, which is why we’ve backed these measures to give people across the UK more say over their working pattern.

If a worker’s existing working pattern lacks certainty in terms of the hours they work, the times they work or if it is a fixed term contract for less than 12 months, they will be able to make a formal application to change their working pattern to make it more predictable. Once a worker has made their request, their employer will be required to notify them of their decision within one month.

As well as clear benefits to workers, the measures are also good for British business. In cases where requests are accepted, workers will have more predictable terms and conditions that better suit their individual circumstances, leading to higher job satisfaction.

This can lead to a range of benefits for businesses, including better staff retention as a worker will not need to look for a new role to secure a working pattern to meet their needs.

Acas Chief Executive Susan Clews said:

With the passing of the new Act, many workers will have the right to request more predictability around their working pattern should they wish to.

Acas is producing a new Code of Practice that will provide clear guidance on making and handling requests. This will help workers and businesses understand the law and have constructive discussions around working arrangements that suit them both. Our draft Code will be available for public consultation in the coming weeks and we encourage all interested parties to respond and let us know their views.

The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 comes as part of a package of Private Member Bills this government has backed over the last few months, cementing the UK’s prevalent worker’s rights laws. These include:

• supporting employee parents of new-born babies who are admitted into neonatal care with up to 12 weeks of paid neonatal care leave
• requiring employers to ensure that all tips, gratuities, and service charges received are paid to workers in full
• offering pregnant women and new parents greater protection against redundancy
• entitling employees who are also unpaid carers to a period of unpaid leave
• providing millions of employees with a day one right to request flexible working, and a greater say over when, where, and how they work

This package of new laws builds on the UK’s flexible and dynamic labour market and gives businesses the confidence to create jobs and invest in their workforce, allowing them to generate long-term economic growth.

Ben Willmott, Head of Public Policy at CIPD said:

This new right will ensure that atypical workers can request a more predictable working pattern if they need more certainty, for example, over the hours they work each week.

It should also prompt more employers to ensure that the flexibility in non-standard employment arrangements works for both the business and workers wherever possible, boosting their efforts to recruit and retain staff.

Background:

• The Government is committed to ensuring the UK is the best place in the world to work and grow a business. To do this, we need a strong and flexible labour market, which supports participation and economic growth. The Government has made this clear since announcing its intention to legislate on this and confirming its support of the Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill.
• We expect the measures in the Act and secondary legislation to come into force approximately a year after Royal Assent, to give employers time to prepare for the changes.
• Matthew Taylor’s 2017 review of modern working practices and the gig economy recommended the introduction of this policy, noting that it would support many workers who currently experience ‘one-sided flexibility’.
• Subject to parliamentary approval, all workers and employees will have this new right once it comes into force, however, they must first have worked for their employer a set period before they make their application. This period will be set out in regulations and is expected to be 26 weeks. Given the proposals aim to support those with unpredictable contracts, workers will not have had to have worked continuously during that period.
• In response to this legislation, the Government has asked Acas to prepare a new statutory Code of Practice to help workers and businesses understand the law and to provide guidance on how requests should be made and considered. Acas will launch a public consultation on a draft Code this autumn.

• After a successful start to the Export Champions scheme, ten new Export Champions for Scotland have been appointed
• They join the thirteen appointments made last year, ensuring a broad range of sector expertise is in place
• Working closely with the Department for Business and Trade and Scottish Development International, their role will be to encourage more Scottish businesses to consider selling abroad

Ten new Export Champions have been appointed for Scotland after a positive start to the scheme that was launched just under a year ago.

In October last year the first ever Export Champions for Scotland were selected and tasked with promoting the benefits of exporting.

Since then they have taken part in over 78 engagements where they have spoken at events, shared advice with others in their sector and encouraged other companies across Scotland to consider selling to overseas markets.

The new appointees, selected in partnership with Scottish Development International (SDI), cover a broad range of sectors from life sciences, to hydrogen energy and legal services.

UK Government Minister for Scotland and Exports Lord Malcolm Offord said:

With our current Export Champions having made such an excellent start, we were keen to grow our team here in Scotland to ensure that we were doing all we can to help companies start their export journey.

Our new, larger team now cover an even broader range of sectors, and I look forward to them sharing their success stories of selling abroad and encouraging other Scottish businesses to start doing the same.

Reuben Aitken, Scottish Enterprise Managing Director of International Operations, said:

Exports drive productivity and our Scottish economic performance.

Scottish Enterprise and our global Scottish Development International colleagues are committed to working with partners to support Scottish companies’ growth by selling their innovative products and services to overseas markets.

We have been pleased to help identify these latest Export Champions who we know will help encourage and inspire future Scottish businesses to trade internationally.

Each of the new Export Champions were selected by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with SDI, with each having a successful track record of trading internationally and a desire to share their expertise with others.

One of the new Export Champions is Natalya Ratner, from educational technology company Robotical Ltd based in Leith. They developed a programmable robot called Marty, an educational tool that has now been sold to over 1,000 schools across 65 countries worldwide.

New Export Champion for Scotland, Natalya Ratner of Robotical Ltd said:

Exporting has made a huge difference to our company. Although we are very much a Scottish company, we were international from the start as it was the best area for growth.

We want more Scottish companies to become successful exporters, so I’m delighted to become an Export Champion. I’ll be really pushing the message on the importance of selling abroad and the growth it can bring to the other companies that I meet with.

Naysun Alae-Carew is another new appointee and is Managing Director of Glasgow-based Blazing Griffin, who specialise in video game development, film and TV and production and high-end post-production services.

With a growing team of 72 creative, digital and technology professionals, Blazing Griffin’s growth trajectory has been fuelled not only by a growing domestic market but also by their thriving exports business.

Managing Director of Blazing Griffin, Naysun Alae-Carew, said:

I’m honoured and excited to be appointed as an Export Champion. We look forward to sharing the insights and strategies that have driven our success with other Scottish companies and help them reach into new territories around the world.

We are staunch believers that Scotland has the potential to excel on the world stage without sacrificing its focus on domestic capabilities. It’s a great time to be part of a nation that is outward-facing, yet deeply committed to local development.

Dr Sharon Fitzgerald, a partner at law firm DLA Piper, has also been named as one of Scotland’s new Export Champions.

For years, DLA Piper has been exporting international best practice in legal services and project procurement, gained through working on major Scottish infrastructure projects such as the Queensferry Crossing.

Dr Sharon Fitzgerald, Partner at DLA Piper said:

I’m delighted to have been selected as an Export Champion for Scotland. At DLA Piper we have exported international best practice in legal services and project procurement to a range of different countries across the world. We’ve also supported our clients in a variety of sectors to do business internationally.

I want to share this experience with others. There are so many opportunities out there and I’m eager to see Scottish businesses make the most of these.

Each Export Champion will now work closely with both DBT and SDI, attending events and providing peer-to-peer exporting support to other businesses in their sector.

So far Export Champions in Scotland have appeared as panel members at the US Trade Dialogue held in Edinburgh in November last year, given presentations about the opportunities available to Scottish FinTech companies in North American markets, and provided feedback to DBT officials on the potential benefits of Free Trade Agreements.

• BMW set to announce multi-million pound investment in the UK, in latest major vote of confidence in UK Government plans for the car industry.
• Announcement brings total investment into the automotive sector to over £6bn in recent years, securing jobs and promoting economic growth.
• Other major investments include over £4bn from Tata to build a new gigafactory in the UK, and £1bn from Nissan and AESC to create an EV manufacturing hub in Sunderland.

Ahead of a visit to the MINI plant in Oxford, Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch has today (11 September) hailed the success of the UK Government’s plan for automotive, as the sector looks ahead to a bright future thanks to over £6 billion of investment over the last two years.

This comes as BMW are set to announce a multi-million pound investment to transform their Oxford plant, securing 4,000 high-quality jobs and strengthening the electric vehicle supply chain. The news follows extensive government engagement and support.

The Government is securing investment from industry by providing support for new plants and upgrades to ensure that the UK automotive industry thrives long into the future.

Last week Stellantis, makers of Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat, announced the start of electric vehicle production after their £100m investment to make their site in Ellesmere Port their first globally dedicated solely to producing EVs.

Other recent major investments also include a landmark investment of over £4 billion from Tata to build a new gigafactory supplying batteries, £1 billion from Nissan and AESC to create an EV manufacturing hub in Sunderland, and £380 million from Ford to make Halewood their first EV components site in Europe.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

BMW’s investment is another shining example of how the UK is the best place to build cars of the future.

By backing our car manufacturing industry, we are securing thousands of jobs and growing our economy right across the country.

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said:

Today’s announcement by BMW, coming a week after electric vehicle production started at Stellantis’s site at Ellesmere Port, clearly shows that the Government’s plan for the automotive sector is working.

Working in partnership with the car industry, we are securing high-quality jobs and investment and boosting economic growth.

The total investment in the UK automotive sector is set to reach over £6bn in just the last two years, ensuring our car industry can look ahead to a bright and successful future under this Government.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said:

The UK has a proud history of manufacturing and BMW’s investment is a huge vote of confidence in this country as a global leader in electric vehicles.

And following Stellantis beginning electric vehicle production at Ellesmere Port, just last week, to Tata’s gigafactory, this industry is motoring, creating thousands of jobs and powering our green transition.

There is a longstanding and comprehensive programme of support for the UK automotive sector, including the Advanced Propulsion Centre, the Automotive Transformation Fund, Faraday Battery Challenge and Driving the Electric Revolution.

Just last week, the Government announced that over £50 million of government funding has been awarded to 30 cutting-edge manufacturing projects including rapid-charging motorcycles and self-driving cars, cementing the UK as one of the best locations in the world to manufacture.

The Government is committed to the future of UK manufacturing, maintaining a competitive business environment and reducing the burden on business.

The manufacturing sector plays a vital role in the UK’s economy and the Chancellor has identified advanced manufacturing as one of five key growth sectors.

Background:

• A press notice from BMW Group will follow at 11:00 Monday 11 September.
• Companies continue to show confidence in the UK, announcing major investments across the country including over £4bn from Tata to build a new gigafactory in the UK; £1 billion from Nissan and AESC to create an EV manufacturing hub in Sunderland; £380m from Ford to make Halewood their first EV components site in Europe; £100m from Stellantis for their site in Ellesmere Port in the production of electric drive units, and £60m from Johnson Matthey in Hertfordshire to develop hydrogen technologies.
• We have a longstanding and comprehensive programme of support for the UK automotive sector, including the Advanced Propulsion Centre, Faraday Battery Challenge and Driving the Electric Revolution.
• We continue to work with investors through the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to build a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK.

Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nishimura Yasutoshi and United Kingdom Secretary of State for Business and Trade the Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP held the first Japan-UK Strategic Economic Policy and Trade Dialogue in London, with the engagement of the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on September 6, 2023. The Ministers welcomed the establishment of the Dialogue and decided to continue holding it in order to further strengthen notable Japan-UK collaboration on strategic opportunities and challenges of mutual interest, in line with the Hiroshima Accord: an Enhanced Japan-UK Global Strategic Partnership.

The UK and Japan, both island nations reliant on free trade, recognise that maintaining and strengthening the multilateral trading system requires work to ensure the global trade rulebook enables economic transformation and sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth. The Ministers reaffirmed our commitment under the Hiroshima Accord to champion a free, fair, and resilient rules-based international economic order in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its core. The Ministers also underlined the need to continue our close partnership on economic security issues. The Ministers further reaffirmed the importance of working together in multilateral fora to address the impact of non-market policies and practices that distort the level playing field. To this end the Ministers tasked officials to hold coordinated and focused discussions in the lead-up to the G7 Trade Ministers’ Meeting to be held in Japan in October this year.

The Ministers underlined the significance of the UK becoming a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and echoed our commitment to work closely together to uphold the agreements’ strategic values and maintain high-standards in terms of rules and market access. The Ministers also reaffirmed that the CPTPP is open to accession requests by economies that are ready to fully meet, implement and adhere to the high standards of the Agreement and with a demonstrated pattern of complying with their trade commitments.

The Ministers further highlighted the continued importance of working with international partners, and through key international fora, to reduce supply-chain dependencies and to deter and counter economic coercion.

The Ministers concluded to lead international efforts to deliver a sustainable future and seek to enhance energy security and energy affordability. The Ministers also recognised the importance of bilateral collaboration and cooperation in third countries on clean energy, building on the strengths of both countries. The Ministers also shared the importance of working together towards the challenges they face as global leaders in science, technology and innovation.

The Ministers committed to future discussions and to implement further cooperation in the following areas:

1) Trade and Investment

• Following the UK becoming a member of CPTPP, working together to uphold its high standards and ensure businesses can access the benefits of both CPTPP and the UK – Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
• Cooperating closely to work towards WTO reform and realise a successful 13th WTO Ministerial Conference.
• Working together to secure a global level playing field by addressing non-market policies and practices.
• Working together to address economic coercion, including by sharing experience and best practice.
• Furthering cooperation on supply chain resilience, including the formulation of a Critical Minerals Memorandum of Cooperation.
• Co-operating in financial support for infrastructure projects in third countries, in particular through the new UK Export Finance and Nippon Export and Investment Insurance Memorandum of Understanding.

2) Energy

• Deploying clean energy technologies, including hydrogen, solar, offshore wind, nuclear, and CCUS.
• Encouraging co-operation on clean energy between Japanese and British companies in the UK and Japan, as well as in third countries.

3) Innovation

• Deepening connections between both innovation ecosystems, including through events creating opportunities to link UK and Japanese start-ups, spinouts and related entities.
• Collaboration across areas where Japan and UK have mutual strengths in semiconductors and AI.

Following the Supreme Court’s judgement of 26 July 2023 in the case of Paccar Inc. and others vs. Competition Tribunal and others , the Department for Business and Trade has released the following statement:

The Department is aware of the Supreme Court decision in Paccar and is looking at all available options to bring clarity to all interested parties