The government has announced in a written statement to parliament that it is abandoning the sunset clause in the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. 

As the Bill was originally drafted, almost all EU law would automatically be revoked at the end of 2023, unless a statutory instrument was passed to preserve it. That position is now being reversed, so that EU law will remain binding in the UK unless it is expressly repealed.  The Bill will be amended to contain a list of the retained EU laws that the government intends to revoke on 31 December 2023 – but anything not on that list will remain valid.  The list has been published and does not include any of the significant employment legislation. The only ones with relevance which are currently on the list for revocation on 31 December 2023 are:

  • The Community Drivers’ Hours and Working Time (Road Tankers) (Temporary Exception) (Amendment) Regulations 2006
  • The Posted Workers (Enforcement of Employment Rights) Regulations 2016; and
  • The Posted Workers (Agency Workers) Regulations 2020

However, from 1  January 2024, UK courts will no longer be bound by decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union, and will no longer be able to give those decisions priority over what UK legislation says.  The most important impact is that – unless the government does something – it is very likely that the caselaw on holiday pay which has arisen over the last ten years will cease to be binding, and employers will no longer need to factor in commission and overtime when calculating holiday pay (unless your employment contracts require you to do so).  We will keep you updated.

Speak to Jon Dunkley

Jon is a Partner at Wollens and can advise you. Contact Jon via email jon.dunkley@wollens.co.uk or call 01271 341021.

You can also complete an online enquiry form. One of the Wollens team will contact you as soon as they are available.