On 3rd September 2024, NICVA hosted a dedicated event with the Minister for the Economy as part of the Department's consultation on Good Jobs in Northern Ireland. Representatives from across the voluntary and community sector came together to engage in discussions that will help shape future employment policies. The consultation focuses on improving working conditions and addressing employment challenges through four main themes, including Terms of Employment, Pay & Benefits, Voice & Representation and Work-life balance.
Feedback from the Voluntary and Community Sector
After the Department of Economy outlined the consultation themes, participants shared their views and had the chance to pose questions directly to the Minister himself and to his team. The outcome of this consultation and the changes to our employment law landscape will be the most significant I have seen during my career in HR and so I was particularly keen to understand the support that would be available to our sector when it comes to the implementation of these changes, particularly given many organisations won’t have the benefit of a dedicated HR team. The Minister gave his assurances that there will be considerable guidance, appropriately pitched, and that the implementation will be incremental so as not to overwhelm.
The challenges around funding within the sector was a strong theme throughout the morning, with many voices calling for further support to tackle low wages in the sector in addition to the aims of the consultation. Other key feedback included:
1. Terms of Employment
- There was broad support for the idea of replacing zero hours contracts to remove the risk of their inappropriate use. However, participants requested clarity on the alternatives. The flexibility these contracts offer was recognised as important for our sector, particularly for short term projects and with limited funding. There was also a feeling that flexibility is sought by many employees, and that there is no desire to lose this flexibility in looking at alternatives.
- Concerns were raised about the impact of agency workers being able to obtain greater pay than contracted staff in the sector, whose pay is directly linked to and limited by funding requirements. As well as looking at terms of employment, the question arose as to the powers of the Department to regulate agency fees to create a more level playing field.
- There was strong support for addressing bogus self-employment, and a call for multi-year funding to help address short-term contracts.
2. Pay and Benefits
- The proposal to extend the holiday pay calculation period from 12 weeks to 52 weeks was generally supported, but attendees highlighted the need for clear guidance to avoid an administrative burden, particularly for organisations with irregular shift patterns.
- On the "Right to Disconnect," participants agreed that overworking is an issue, but cautioned against strict rules that could reduce employee flexibility and could unintentionally disadvantage those groups with caring responsibilities.
3. Voice and Representation
- Mixed feedback was received on lowering the threshold for trade union recognition. Some supported lowering it to give smaller organisations more representation, while others suggested a percentage-based threshold.
- Those representing micro-organisations said however that the proposal to lower the threshold would have no impact on their organisations due to the very small numbers.
4. Work-Life Balance
- There was general support for allowing employees to make two flexible working requests per year, though some concerns were raised about managing an influx of requests, particularly in short-term contract situations.
- Participants supported paid carer’s leave but called for clearer guidelines on eligibility and expressed concerns about the financial burden on small businesses. We did have a particular question around a current consultation in mainland UK which is considering enhanced carers leave beyond what is being considered here. The Minister advised that they will firstly look to see how the UK land on this consultation before it is considered in NI.
Looking Ahead
NICVA will continue to closely follow the progress of the Good Jobs consultation and provide updates to our members as further developments unfold. The deadline was 30th September 2024 and you can view our response attached to this article.
As always, if you require any support or guidance from NICVA, feel free to reach out to us via this link and we are happy to help.
