Cliff Notes – Government to ban ‘appalling’ non-disclosure agreements
- The UK government pledges to ban non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that prevent victims of harassment or discrimination from speaking out.
- Labour proposes amendments to the Employment Rights Bill to void NDAs used to silence employees about their experiences, citing the need for victims to come forward.
- Employment Minister Justin Madders describes NDA misuse as “an appalling practice,” affirming the government’s commitment to end it.
- Critics argue this is a way to protect information and people of significance from having to be named in lawsuits.
Government to ban ‘appalling’ non-disclosure agreements that silence victims of abuse at work | UK News
Victims will no longer have to “suffer in silence”, the government has said, as it pledges to ban non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) designed to silence staff who’ve suffered harassment or discrimination.
Accusers of Harvey Weinstein, the former film producer and convicted sex offender, are among many in recent years who had to breach such agreements in order to speak out.
Labour has suggested an extra section in the Employment Rights Bill that would void NDAs that are intended to stop employees going public about harassment or discrimination.
The government said this would allow victims to come forward about their situation rather than remain “stuck in unwanted situations, through fear or desperation”.
Zelda Perkins, Weinstein’s former assistant and founder of Can’t Buy My Silence UK, said the changes would mark a “huge milestone” in combatting the “abuse of power”.
She added: “This victory belongs to the people who broke their NDAs, who risked everything to speak the truth when they were told they couldn’t. Without their courage, none of this would be happening.”
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said the government had “heard the calls from victims of harassment and discrimination” and was taking action to prevent people from having to “suffer in silence”.