Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

General Data Protection RegulationZero hoursEmployment lawData protectionLatest News

Queen’s Speech: Exclusivity contracts for low-paid workers to be banned

by Jo Faragher 9 May 2022
by Jo Faragher 9 May 2022 The Queen's Speech is expected to include a ban on on exclusivity contracts for the low paid. Photo: Paul Quezada-Neiman / Alamy
The Queen's Speech is expected to include a ban on on exclusivity contracts for the low paid. Photo: Paul Quezada-Neiman / Alamy

A ban on exclusivity clauses for low-paid workers and changes to data protection rules are likely to feature in this year’s Queen’s Speech, which will be delivered tomorrow (10 May) to parliament.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has today announced plans to widen the ban on exclusivity clauses to workers below the lower-earnings limit of £123 a week.

This means around 1.5 million workers will be able to work for multiple employers to top up their weekly income. The government claims it will give workers more flexibility over when and where they work and to plan jobs around childcare or study.

It will also help employers to widen their pool of job applicants at a point when vacancies are at an all time high.

“While not everyone will want a second job, the reforms will remove red tape that prevents those who want to do so – for example, gig economy workers, younger people, or those from disadvantaged backgrounds facing barriers to entering the labour market,” the government said.

While it has been widely reported that tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech will not feature the much-anticipated Employment Bill, the exclusivity ban is among a number of pieces of legislation that could affect employers.

Exclusivity contracts

Employment bill: What now for workers’ rights?

Employment law in 2022: Eight action points for HR

Zero hours contracts: redress for exclusivity breaches announced

A key feature of the speech is likely to be the Brexit Freedoms Bill, which will make it easier to amend or remove retained EU law, which refers to any legislation kept on the statute book after Brexit as a bridging measure. The government claims this will save £1 billion in red tape.

It’s also thought the government will announce a data reform bill that would allow the UK to deviate from EU privacy legislation. While the bill is still in draft, it could mean changes to obligations around how employee records are stored and processed if businesses are no longer covered by the General Data Protection Regulation.

Exclusivity clauses were banned for workers on zero-hours contracts in May 2015, but the new legislation will cover any worker on or below £123 a week.

Commenting on the reform, business minister Paul Scully said: “We are creating a high skilled, high productivity labour market that supports workers by removing unnecessary red tape, helping the British people boost their incomes and keep more of what they earn.

“By extending the ban on exclusivity clauses, we are putting more control into the hands of the lowest paid, giving them the freedom to decide who they work for and how often, including the option to top up their pay packet if they wish.”

The announcement coincides with a new report by the TUC which finds that insecure, low-paid work costs the Treasury almost £10 billion a year in lost taxes.

“Britain’s insecure work epidemic isn’t just punishing workers – it’s starving the public finances too,” said general secretary Frances O’Grady.

“The government’s failure to clamp down on shady employment practices is costing the Treasury a fortune every year. And that means less funding for our cash-strapped hospitals, care homes and schools.”

The TUC wants the government to push through the Employment Bill to ensure all types of workers enjoy the same “floor of rights” as permanent employees and to ban exploitative zero-hours contracts.

O’Grady added: “Ministers must stick to their word and deliver the long overdue Employment Bill.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“Leaving insecure work to flourish unchecked would be an act of betrayal. And it would send a green light to bad bosses to carry on cheating their workers and the taxman.”

Workforce planning opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more workforce planning jobs

Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
MP seeks legal protections for employees undergoing fertility treatment
next post
Cost of living fuelling access ‘crisis’ in dentistry

You may also like

Minister defends Employment Rights Bill at Acas conference

16 May 2025

CBI chair Soames accuses ministers of not listening...

16 May 2025

EHRC bows to pressure and extends gender consultation

15 May 2025

Contract cleaner loses EAT race discrimination appeal

14 May 2025

Construction workers win compensation claim against defunct employer

9 May 2025

Zero-hours workers’ rights to be extended from beyond...

8 May 2025

Employment tribunal backlog up 23% in a year

7 May 2025

Ministers urged to outlaw misuse of NDAs

7 May 2025

Employment Rights Bill must be tightened to protect...

1 May 2025

Lords criticise ‘opaque’, ‘on-the-hoof’ Employment Rights Bill

30 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+