Yesterday's Autumn Statement included confirmation by chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne that a 'shares for rights' deal, which was originally announced in October, whereby workers forfeit certain employment terms in exchange for a stake in their company, would be pursued.
As part of the scheme, employees will not pay income tax or national insurance contributions on the first £2,000 of shares received, and will not pay capital gains tax on the first £50,000.
The statement said: "The Government is legislating to introduce a new employee shareholder status that will give staff a stake in their ?rms' future success and give ?rms greater choice about the contracts they can offer to individuals.
"Employee shareholders will have different employee rights and shares worth a minimum of £2,000 in the ?rm they work for. The Government will exempt gains on up to £50,000 of shares acquired by employee shareholders from capital gains tax from 6 April 2013."
Bernadette Daley, partner at law firm Mayer Brown, told HR magazine: "The concept of employee ownership schemes has proven controversial and received a fair amount of criticism. Startup enterprises or companies that already offer share incentives to employees might take up this option, but I think the jury is out as to whether these new proposals really will result in a more flexible workplace, encourage more recruitment or achieve the other stated aims."
Daley added: "Although the Government is hoping this will help lift the burden of regulation on employers, in the short term at least it is likely to increase that burden, given the complexities involved and some of the potential areas for dispute."
Richard Fox, partner and head of law firm Kingsley Napley's employment team, said: "Despite widespread concern about individuals losing important employment protections, as far as the Government is concerned it is full steam ahead, and in today's Autumn Statement the Chancellor confirmed that some £340 million would be made available to the project.
"The new category of employer owner has become a new-style 'employee shareholder', but for many the proposal remains half-baked. Before introducing major changes to the way in which we employ our workforces up and down the country, in an attempt to encourage more recruitment, the Government really ought to give more thought to the proposals.
"Encouraging more widespread employee ownership, or even more 'John Lewis'-type workforces, may well have much to commend itself, as might appropriate tax inducements to allow this to happen more frequently, but the question still remains, why should shares be offered to employees in exchange for surrendering significant employment rights, particularly, if there is such little evidence that employers are being put off recruiting because of these rights? It is that question that the Government has failed to answer satisfactorily and it should do a lot more thinking before bringing these proposals into force next spring."
Ed Stacey, head of employment at PwC Legal, a branch of the professional services firm, said: "Removing employment rights, such as unfair dismissal, is not an attractive option for businesses or employees and will not achieve the aim of increasing companies' appetite for recruitment."
The Government yesterday published its response to the consultation, launched in October, on employee owner contracts, which sets out a number of modifications to its original proposals. These include:
- Renaming 'employee-owner' contracts 'employee-shareholder' contracts.
- Making it explicit that shares should be fully paid up and free to employee shareholders.
- Creating a power for the secretary of state to increase the minimum threshold of £2,000 on the value of shares that must be offered.
- Removing the upper limit on shares (of £50,000) to be an employee shareholder, stated in the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, although this limit will apply for the capital gains tax exemption.
- Allowing the rules to apply to non-UK registered companies and parent company shares.
- Extending the requirement to give 16 weeks' notice to return early from additional maternity or adoption leave to additional paternity leave.
The Government has said incentives for employee ownership were being explored, and would be revealed at the next Budget in spring 2013.
