7 out of 10 employees are unaware of new day 1 right to request flexible working

A new survey from Acas has found that 70% of employees are not aware that they will have a right to request flexible working from their employer from day 1 of their job next year.

All employees who have worked for their employer for 26 weeks or more currently have the right to ask if they can work flexibly. A new change in the law will make this a right that applies from the 1st day of employment.

Acas will produce a new statutory Code of Practice on handling requests for flexible working to support employers and employees through this change and other reforms, which will be introduced in 2024.

Acas Chief Executive, Susan Clews, said:- "There has been a substantial shift in flexible working globally, which has allowed more people to better balance their working lives and employers have also benefitted from being an attractive place to work. It is important for bosses and staff to be prepared for new changes to the law around the right to request flexible working, which will be coming into force next year. Acas has just consulted on a new draft Code of Practice, which strengthens good practice on flexible working and addresses important upcoming changes to the law. The final new Code will be published next year."

The day 1 right to request flexible working will come into force on:- 6 April 2024. Additional law reforms on flexible working that are outlined in the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 are expected to come in at the same time.

Acas's draft statutory Code of Practice on handling requests for flexible working includes information on:-

Who should be allowed to accompany an employee at meetings to discuss a flexible working request.
The need for transparency about reasons for rejecting a request.
Making it clear that employers should proactively offer an appeal where a request has been rejected.

The consultation on this new draft Code has now closed and a final version of the Code will be published in 2024. The draft Code can be seen at:- ACAS.Org.UK.

UK road safety progress has come to a grinding halt

THE United Kingdom is lagging behind other European countries when it comes to road safety progress in reducing the number of people killed on its roads. The World Health Organisation's Global Status Report on Road Safety should be a wakeup call to Government, leading accident prevention charity The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has said.

RoSPA is calling for the Government to publish its long overdue Road Safety Strategic Framework which has not been updated in England since 2019.

According to the latest figures from the report and RoSPA's analysis of recent road safety statistics, the UK road safety progress has come to a grinding halt since 2010, with fatalities and injuries plateauing.

This December marks a decade of stagnation, during which we have seen a 5% reduction in deaths across Great Britain versus a 46% reduction across UK in the decade to 2010.

While road safety in the UK has stalled, overall, the European Region has seen a 36% reduction in road deaths.

David Walker, Head of Road and Leisure Safety at RoSPA, said:- "We are seeing around 81 people killed or seriously injured on our roads every day, which is unacceptable and evidently linked to the dramatic lack of UK road safety progress over the last decade. We cannot and must not wait to act and urge the Government to publish its long overdue Road Safety Strategic Framework for England, and to set out casualty reduction targets that are in line with other G7 nations. Only then can we begin to address our woeful position on the WHO's road safety leaderboard."

North West shopworkers speak out about violence, threats and abuse

RETAIL trade union Usdaw is asking customers to:- 'keep your cool' as the busy pre- Christmas shopping gets underway, which will culminate in what the retail industry has already dubbed:- 'Super Saturday,' with:- 23 December 2023, being the last full shopping day before Christmas.

Shocking statistics from Usdaw's annual survey of shopworkers shows there are still far too many incidents of violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers. Interim results from over 3,000 retail staff responses show that in the last 12 months:-

65% have experienced verbal abuse.
42% were threatened by a customer.
5% were assaulted.
71% of verbal abuse was caused by customer frustration.

North West voices from the frontline: These are some of the comments North West shopworkers shared when responding to Usdaw's survey:-

Cumbria:- "Being blamed for petrol Station issues. Threatened to do me in and watch my back." "Mainly verbal abuse from challenge 25 who do not have ID." "Customers not having receipts then just having a go at you."
Cheshire:- "Stock has been thrown at me," "Verbal and mental abuse." "Called stupid little Hitler and a thick bastard." "Threatened with a screwdriver during a till snatch." "Verbal abuse including sexual verbal harassment from male customer."
Lancashire:- "Pushed over by a shoplifter," "I got called a c**t because customer didn't have loyalty card." "Came in store he was in a mood already shouting abuse. Saw me and started as I am Asian." "Called b*tch, threats of waiting after work."
Manchester:- "Customers have threatened to jump over the counter and assault me," "Shoplifter punched the window next to me and said it would be my face next time." "I've been called a f**king whore and a dog."; "Basket thrown at us."
Merseyside:- "Threatened by customer for theft," "Broken nose, table thrown at me, daily verbal abuse." "Spat on when approaching customer for shop lifting." "Been punched, spat at, kicked, items and objects thrown at me, chased with a knife."

Paddy Lillis; Usdaw General Secretary says:- "It is heart-breaking to hear these testimonies from North West shopworkers who deserve far more respect than they receive. Our latest survey results clearly show the scale of the appalling violence, threats and abuse faced by retail staff. It is shocking that ⅔ of our members working in retail stores are suffering abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence. 7 in 10 of these incidents were triggered by customers being frustrated with stock shortages, lack of staff or problems with self service checkouts. All of these problems are largely outside the control of retail staff, but they are the people who bear the brunt of shoppers' anger. Our members tell us that incidents of verbal abuse are much worse in the run up to Christmas, when shops are busy, customers are stressed and things can boil over. That is why we are asking customers to:- 'keep your cool' and respect shopworkers, to make the Christmas shopping experience better for everyone."