Currently employees in organisations with 250 or more staff have the statutory right to request time for study or training. This right is known as 'time to train'.
From 6 April 2011 the right will apply to all employees working in organisations of all sizes, regardless of how many employees there are, provided they have worked at an organisation for at least 26 weeks.
But Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "We strongly believe that the Time to Train regulations should be scrapped in their entirety. The process obligations they impose on smaller businesses are inappropriate, costly and potentially confusing when they are combined with other legal obligations.
"Regulations such as these also provide yet another route to employment tribunal, allowing disgruntled employees an opportunity to threaten legal action due to paperwork and bureaucracy.
"Scrapping these regulations would be a sign that the coalition is living up to its promise to cut the burden of red tape. Another regulation planned for implementation in April 2011, Additional Paternity Leave, should also be postponed until the Government has firmed up its own plans for parental leave reform.
"These decisions must be taken urgently so businesses have clarity over what their employment obligations are. Constant tinkering with employment legislation costs businesses money and distracts them from generating growth and creating jobs."
But the TUC fears a scrappage could be damaging for business. General secretary Brendan Barber said: "Since its introduction earlier this year, the right to request time to train has opened new doors for workers to get the skills they need to further their careers.
"But having already consulted extensively, we are concerned that this latest consultation will simply weaken the right as a favour to business organisations that consider support to train staff as nothing more than burdensome red tape.
"Ten million workers received no training last year. Reducing existing support for staff will send out a powerful message that the UK Government and its business representatives do not consider skills a priority – a short-term attitude that will damage our future economic competitiveness."
