BEERG Newsletter - UK: Job exclusivity clauses for low-paid set to be banned

Almost 2 million low-paid workers will be given greater freedom to take new jobs under government plans that will also encourage “a wave of new start-ups” by allowing people to move more easily to rival businesses. The government wants to ban exclusivity clauses in employment contracts, which prevent low-paid workers from taking on extra part-time and flexible jobs with other employers.

In a consultation launched last week, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said the ban could apply to workers with a weekly income below £120 a week. The government estimates that if exclusivity clauses were forbidden, 1.8m low-paid workers across the UK could top up their income with additional work, while employers could tap into a larger pool of part-time workers.

From BEERG Newsletter Issue #41 – Dec 10, 2020