Non-inquiry session · Opened 23 June 2026
Employment rights
From: Business and Trade Committee
What this inquiry is asking
This is not yet a formal inquiry. The Business and Trade Committee has convened an initial non-inquiry session to explore employment rights issues in the UK. The session appears to be a scoping exercise to determine whether a full investigation is warranted, gathering preliminary evidence from employment law experts, business representatives, and union officials.
Status / emerging findings
- Early-stage evidence gathering only — no findings yet
- Two evidence sessions held on 30 June 2026 with Matthew Taylor (employment relations expert), Tim Harrison, Tom Ironside, Union of Shop, Distributive workers representatives, David Sheen, Sampson Low, and Joanne Thomas
- No published documents, analysis, or committee positions available yet
Why it matters
Employment rights shape wages, job security, and working conditions for millions of UK workers; how the committee frames this issue now will signal whether Parliament is preparing to scrutinise government employment policy.
Themes
Key witnesses
Matthew Taylor CBE, Tim Harrison, Tom Ironside, Union of Shop, Distributive workers, David Sheen, Sampson Low, Joanne Thomas
Witness sessions
Oral evidence · 30 June 2026 · HC 479
Session 1 of 2Tom Ironside; Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers; David Sheen; +2 more
Oral evidence · 30 June 2026 · HC 479
Session 2 of 2
Written evidence & correspondence
Correspondence · 7 July 2026
Letter from Unite the Union relating to zero hours workers, 29 June 2026
Correspondence · 7 July 2026
Correspondence · 7 July 2026
Correspondence · 7 July 2026
Themes & actors
Topics across publication summaries
Top organisations & named entities
- Kate Dearden MP·3 references
- Liam Byrne MP·3 references
- Department for Business and Trade·3 references
- Unite the Union·1 reference
- Hospitality UK·1 reference
- Office of National Statistics·1 reference
- Glasgow Film Theatre·1 reference
- Stand Comedy Club·1 reference
- Village Hotels·1 reference
- G1 Group·1 reference
Source · parliament.uk inquiry record ↗