Amend ERA 1996: replace the ‘reasonable responses’ test with objective fairness
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.
Signatures
25
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 25/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 25/100,000
- 09 MAR 2026Petition opened for signaturesCreated by Muhsin Manir
Background
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.