Jobs Bill will mark ‘radical change’ Ian Taylor


The government’s Employment Rights Bill, currently completing its passage through Parliament, will mark “a radical change” in the law and lead to “an awful lot of due diligence” on recruitment. That is according to employment


lawyer Rebecca Thornley-Gibson, partner at DMH Stallard, who described the decision to grant “day one unfair dismissal rights” to employees as a “headline grabbing” measure that would end probation periods for new staff. A new ‘initial period of


employment’, which includes some unfair dismissal rights, will replace probation when the Bill becomes law.


Unfair dismissal rights currently only apply after two years’ employment. Thornley-Gibson told an Abta


Travel Law Seminar in London that the new law “will create an awful lot of additional due diligence on recruitment because you have legal claims risks from day one. It will mean a lot more management training to be aware of the process.” She noted: “The initial period of


employment will allow a modified dismissal procedure. But we don’t know what the period will be – probably nine months – and dismissal during this period will have to follow a modified process.” The Bill will create a Fair Work


Agency to provide legal assistance to employees and bring claims


Heapy urges Spain to maintain quality and keen pricing


Andrew McQuarrie


Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapy has urged Spain’s hotel sector to maintain service quality and competitive prices, warning that holidaymakers are increasingly willing to consider rival destinations deemed to be more affordable. He acknowledged that hotels had


faced rising costs across staff, food and fuel, which had pushed up room rates, but said: “The cost of a hotel has gone up 30% in the last three years but average salaries have not gone up by that, so price is becoming more and more important.” Speaking at an event at the


4 15 MAY 2025


Spanish embassy in London to discuss sustainable tourism in the country, he added that a key reason for last year’s overtourism protests was a lack of affordable housing for residents, with the issue having a knock-on effect on hotels. “Many hotels are struggling to


find enough staff because the cost of accommodation is too high,” he said, warning staffing challenges could lead to lower quality of service. “I would not want Spain to be


perceived as a destination that is dropping in quality,” he said, adding it was “very encouraging” that political leaders were addressing the issue. The gap in quality between Spain


It will create a lot of due diligence on recruitment because you have legal claims risks from day one


against employers in some areas, including on holiday and sick pay and the national minimum wage, and Thornley-Gibson warned: “We’ll probably see an increase in litigation. The agency will take two to three years to set up, so there is time to get your house in order, but it will not be a blunt instrument.” She added: “There are new proposals on record-keeping on


a Steve Heapy (centre)


holiday leave and holiday pay, and a failure to keep adequate records will be an offence with unlimited fines.” The Bill will also require


businesses employing staff on zero- hour or low-hour contracts “to make an offer of guaranteed hours after every ‘reference period’”, she noted. “But we don’t know what will qualify as ‘low hours’ or what a reference period will be. We think 12 weeks.” Thornley-Gibson suggested: “If


this goes in as proposed, employers probably won’t want to touch zero-hour contracts.” She noted the legislation is “likely


to be implemented by the end of 2026” and said: “We advise businesses to wait until this is clearer before changing employment policies.”


and Turkey or other non-EU countries had closed over the years, he said. Marco Pérez, mayor of San


Bartolomé de Tirajana in Gran Canaria, said hotels in the area were not facing recruitment problems but workers were increasingly seeking a better work-life balance. Addressing Spanish hotels’ offering,


he said: “We follow European safety standards. If you have services that fulfil legislation, you have to pay for that.” Heapy also called on Spain


to continue its clampdown on unlicensed tourist accommodation. He suggested a factor in last year’s


protests was a “massive” growth in unlicensed tourism, which he said


had led to unpredictability of visitor numbers, as well as travellers staying in non-tourist areas and putting a strain on local services. A further drawback of unlicensed


tourism is that destinations miss out on tourist taxes, he said, though he reiterated he was opposed to such taxes and feared they could “creep up”. Benidorm mayor Antonio Perez


said authorities in Costa Blanca had stepped up efforts to carry out investigations into potential unlicensed accommodation, with fines imposed where required. “We can inspect accommodation


and enforce the parameters we need to,” he said.


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