logo
Labour urged to make it harder to sack sick staff

Labour urged to make it harder to sack sick staff

Telegraph24-07-2025
Labour has been urged to make it harder to sack sick workers in a bid to stop disabled staff from leaving the workforce.
The Resolution Foundation - which was until last year headed by pensions minister Torsten Bell - has called on the Government to implement a raft of new rules including a 'right to reintegration' for staff on sick leave.
Louise Murphy, economist at the think tank, said extra rights for disabled workers similar to those given to new mothers could transform employment prospects.
'The Government should do more to incentivise firms to employ disabled people, especially those who have been out of work for long periods. But employers need to do more in return,' she said.
'A new right to reintegration could help disabled workers back into work in the same way that maternity rights transformed women's employment prospects a generation ago.'
The report said that rising levels of poor health means the Government has little chance of boosting employment to its 80pc target unless it takes steps to boost hiring of disabled workers.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

UK's online safety law is putting free speech at risk, X says
UK's online safety law is putting free speech at risk, X says

Reuters

time11 minutes ago

  • Reuters

UK's online safety law is putting free speech at risk, X says

LONDON, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Britain's online safety law risks suppressing free speech due to its heavy-handed enforcement, social media site X said on Friday, adding that significant changes were needed. The Online Safety Act, which is being rolled out this year, sets tough new requirements on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X, as well as sites hosting pornography, to protect children and remove illegal content. But it has attracted criticism from politicians, free-speech campaigners and content creators, who have complained that the rules had been implemented too broadly, resulting in the censorship of legal content. Users have complained about age checks that require personal data to be uploaded to access sites that show pornography, and more than 468,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the act to be repealed. The government said on Monday it had no plans to do so and it was working with regulator Ofcom to implement the act as quickly as possible. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said on Tuesday that those who wanted to overturn it were "on the side of predators". Elon Musk's X, which has implemented age verification, said the law's laudable intentions were at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach. "When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of 'online safety'," it said in a statement. "It is fair to ask if UK citizens were equally aware of the trade-off being made." X said the timetable for meeting mandatory measures had been unnecessarily tight, and despite being in compliance, platforms still faced threats of enforcement and fines, encouraging over-censorship. It said a balanced approach was the only way to protect liberty, encourage innovation and safeguard children. "It's safe to say that significant changes must take place to achieve these objectives in the UK," it said. A UK government spokesperson said it is "demonstrably false" that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech. "As well as legal duties to keep children safe, the very same law places clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression," the spokesperson said. Ofcom said on Thursday it had launched investigations into the compliance of four companies, which collectively run 34 pornography sites.

Isle of Man cocaine warning as emergency hospital admissions rise
Isle of Man cocaine warning as emergency hospital admissions rise

BBC News

time11 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Isle of Man cocaine warning as emergency hospital admissions rise

Health bodies on the Isle of Man have raised the alarm about a "contaminated or high-potency" batch of cocaine after a spike in hospital admissions. The alert follows a significant increase in the number of people attending the emergency department at Noble's Hospital, Public Health Isle of Man said. It said there was evidence that "high-potency or a contaminated batch of cocaine" is circulating, and symptoms among those affected include agitation, increased heart rates, and chest pain. A Public Health Isle of Man spokesman said: "Be honest with medical staff about what was taken – it could save a life." He said the advice to everyone was to "avoid using cocaine or any unknown substance" which may be "stronger than usual or mixed with other harmful drugs".The risk was "particularly high" for those with underlying health conditions, or mixed with other substances. People are also being asked to call emergency services if they know anyone that has become unwell after drug use. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.

Trump demands official overseeing US jobs data be fired over dismal report
Trump demands official overseeing US jobs data be fired over dismal report

BreakingNews.ie

time13 minutes ago

  • BreakingNews.ie

Trump demands official overseeing US jobs data be fired over dismal report

US President Donald Trump has called for the firing of the head of the agency that produces the monthly jobs figures after a report showed hiring slowed in July and was much weaker in May and June than previously reported. Mr Trump in a post on his social media platform alleged that the figures were manipulated for political reasons and said that Erika McEntarfer, the director of the Bureau of Labour Statistics, who was appointed by former president Joe Biden, should be fired. Advertisement 'I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,' Mr Trump said on Truth Social. 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.' Friday's jobs report showed that just 73,000 jobs were added last month and that 258,000 fewer jobs were created in May and June than previously estimated. Ms McEntarfer was nominated by Biden in 2023 and became the commissioner of the Bureau of Labour Statistics in January 2024. Advertisement Commissioners typically serve four-year terms but since they are political appointees can be fired. The commissioner is the only political appointee of the agency, which has hundreds of career civil servants. Mr Trump focused much of his ire on the revisions the agency made to previous hiring data. Job gains in the US in May were revised down to just 19,000 from 125,000, and in June they were cut to 14,000 from 147,000. Advertisement In July, only 73,000 positions were added. The unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.2% from 4.1%. 'No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers,' Mr Trump wrote. 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes.' Advertisement The monthly employment report is one of the most closely-watched pieces of government economic data and can cause sharp swings in financial markets. The disappointing figure sent US market indexes about 1.5% lower Friday. While the jobs numbers are often the subject of political spin, economists and Wall Street investors — with millions of dollars at stake — have always accepted US government economic data as free from political manipulation.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store