Lawyer Monthly Magazine - April 2019 Edition

26 BREXIT www. lawyer-monthly .com APR 2019 With the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU) fast approaching, working people are still uncertain about what could happen to their hard-won rights when Brexit happens. B R E X I T HOW WI L L BREX I T AFFECT WORKERS ’ R I GHTS ? EU law has impacted UK employment law with the provision of rights for part- time and fixed term workers, paid holiday entitlement, working time protection and agency worker rights, among others. To explain the potential effects Brexit may have on workers’ rights, East Midlands- based law firm Nelsons held a workshop at its Nottingham office on Tuesday (5 March). Associate and employment law solicitor Melanie Morton, who hosted the event, said: “UK workers have benefitted from employment rights that derive from European laws for many years. In fact, many people do not realise that some of the protections they enjoy at work are in place because the UK has had to implement certain laws and follow case law as a result of its EU membership. “The uncertainty surrounding Brexit has understandably left a lot of workers worried about what could happen to their rights when we leave the EU, but it’s important to remember that it is unlikely any immediate changes will happen from an employment law perspective.”