Petitions/Amend ERA 1996: replace the ‘reasonable responses’ test with objective fairness
StatusOngoing
Opened9 Mar 2026
Closes
Government response
Parliamentary debateNot eligible
Milestones

Amend Section 98(4) of the ERA 1996 to end the 'Range of Reasonable Responses'. Employers and tribunals should be legally required to judge the objective merits of a worker’s intervention in emergency or crime situations.

We believe section 98(4) of the ERA 1996 lets firms too easily sack staff for technical breaches during crises. This prioritises rigid policy over human safety. Employers use 'safety protocols' and 'potential disrepute' as catch-all excuses to sack often heroic employees who intervene in thefts, violent crimes, or life-saving incidents. We believe the Government must mandate independent appeals and shift the legal test from a boss's 'belief' to the objective necessity of a worker's intervention to prevent harm.

10,000
100,000

Constituency engagement ranking

Margaret Mullane
1Margaret Mullane MP
Dagenham and Rainham
2
Andy Slaughter
2Andy Slaughter MP
Hammersmith and Chiswick
2
Nesil Caliskan
3Nesil Caliskan MP
Barking
1
Alex Burghart
4Alex Burghart MP
Brentwood and Ongar
1
Danny Kruger
5Danny Kruger MP
East Wiltshire
1
Kate Osamor
6Kate Osamor MP
Edmonton and Winchmore Hill
1
Justin Madders
7Justin Madders MP
Ellesmere Port and Bromborough
1
Monica Harding
8Monica Harding MP
Esher and Walton
1
Jack Abbott
9Jack Abbott MP
Ipswich
1
Jeremy Corbyn
10Jeremy Corbyn MP
Islington North
1