Some of those ideas have been rather fanciful, others have been exciting, unexpected, clever even. No-one, however, can have been certain which of the myriad of possibilities would crystalise into reality. As a result of the HRA there will inevitably be a change in the culture of the workplace. It is true, on the other hand, that many predictions regarding its impact simply will not materialise. It is worth remembering that there is already substantial protection afforded to employees in existing law and some of the extravagant claims made about the impact of the HRA have ignored this.
Many employers already complain about the wave of new employment legislation rushing in from Europe.
Some describe much of the recent legislation as social engineering rather than employment law. There are concerns amongst interest groups that the burdens placed on businesses, especially small business are unacceptable. Such concerns led the government to backpedal on the Working Time Regulations and introduce amendments to the Regulations to decrease record keeping obligations. Now, on top of all that, there is the HRA to accommodate. Public Authorities Public authorities include, as you would expect, all the organs of the state - police, Whitehall departments, local government, etc.