Sean Houlston joined business leaders in Ipswich, Suffolk to discuss the Employment Rights Act and its growing impact on employers.
The clear message from the room was that the Act represents a serious threat to business confidence, particularly for small and medium sized firms already under pressure.
Discussions focused on the Act’s rigid, one size fits all approach, which risks driving up costs, increasing legal exposure, and discouraging recruitment. Business leaders warned that instead of protecting jobs, the legislation is more likely to reduce hiring, limit flexibility, and push firms towards automation or outsourcing to manage risk.
Sean described the Act as an ideologically driven intervention that ignores commercial reality. He argued that piling regulation onto employers during a period of economic fragility is reckless and will damage productivity, wages, and growth.
