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Brexit: Article 50, the Great Repeal Bill and Workers' Rights

on Friday, 14 October 2016.

The government has recently announced that it will trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017 and introduce a Great Repeal Bill (the Bill).

The triggering of Article 50 means that the UK is likely to have left the European Union by the summer of 2019. The purpose of the Bill is to repeal the European Communities Act 1972 and ensure that existing European legislation is enshrined in the law of the UK.

What will this mean for employment law and workers' rights?

By adopting all current European law into our domestic law, the government is ensuring that there will be no immediate reduction or change in employment rights when the country exits the EU in 2019. This news should provide some comfort and certainty to both employers and employees.

This 'business as usual' approach to employment law was reinforced by the Prime Minister in her speech at the Conservative Party Conference. She said that:

  • 'Existing workers' legal rights will continue to be guaranteed in law - and they will be guaranteed as long as I am Prime Minister'.
  • 'We're going to see workers' rights not eroded, and not just protected, but enhanced under this government.'

You can find more information on the Great Repeal Bill by reading our article.


For more information, please contact Michael Halsey in our Employment Law team on 020 7665 0842.