Time to Train regulations should be scrapped

The Government is launching a five week consultation on the Right to Request Time off to Train on Wednesday. Commenting, Dr Adam Marshall, Director of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

“We strongly believe that the Time to Train regulations should be scrapped in their entirety. The process obligations they impose on smaller businesses are inappropriate, costly, and potentially confusing when they are combined with other legal obligations.

“Regulations such as these also provide yet another route to employment tribunal, allowing disgruntled employees an opportunity to threaten legal action due to paperwork and bureaucracy.

“Scrapping these regulations would be a sign that the Coalition is living up to its promise to cut the burden of red tape. Another regulation planned for implementation in April 2011, Additional Paternity Leave, should also be postponed until the Government has firmed up its own plans for parental leave reform.

“These decisions must be taken urgently so businesses have clarity over what their employment obligations are. Constant tinkering with employment legislation costs businesses money and distracts them from generating growth and creating jobs.”

Ends

Media Contact:

Sam Turvey
Tel: 020 7654 5813
Email: s.turvey@britishchambers.org.uk

Notes to Editors:

1. This legislation gives employees the right to request time off for training using the same model as the right to request flexible working. There are two commencement dates: one for businesses with more than 250 employees, which was April 2010, and one for smaller businesses, due to be implemented in April 2011.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is the National Voice of Local Business.
The BCC sits at the heart of a powerful nationwide network of Accredited Chambers of Commerce serving business across the UK, which employ over five million people