Brexit: Where Does UK Employment Law Stand Now?
Workers'
rights have been central to the Brexit debate, particularly as
Prime Minister Theresa May reached across the political divide for
support for her Brexit deal. The UK government has made assurances
on workers' rights that give some indication of the direction
of UK public policy post-Brexit.
The EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 provides that all European Union
law (including EU legislation relating to employment and
workers' rights) will be transposed into domestic UK
legislation on the date that the UK leaves the EU. If the UK leaves
the EU with the deal proposed by Theresa May, there would be no
immediate change to the UK employment law regime. However,
following an implementation (or transitional) period (which was
initially anticipated to last until at least December 2020 but will
almost certainly be pushed back given the current delay to the
UK's withdrawal), the UK would be free to diverge from EU
legislation.
