Holiday Entitlement Down Under On holiday recently, I got speaking to a lovely couple from Australia…..sadly, about employment law! We were all talking about needing a relaxing holiday which is why we found ourselves where we were. However, the surprising thing was that they mentioned they needed the holiday due to one of them
Quick Updates Parental leave The statutory right to parental leave is available to employees only and on the basis they have been employed for at least 1 year and have (or expect to have) responsibility for a child. Currently each parent is entitled to take 13 weeks’ leave for each child (to be taken before the child’s 5th birthday)
Fees for Filing an Employment Tribunal Claim Currently, individuals wanting to make a claim in the tribunal can file a claim free of charge. However, this is set to change from Monday 29 July 2013 when an issue fee and hearing fee is introduced. The issue fee will be payable at the time the
Important Timescales in Employment Law Claims for unfair dismissal For employees employed before 6 April 2012, they require 1 year of service to be able to bring this claim For employees employed on or after 6 April 2012, they require 2 years of service Claims need to be filed by an employee within 3
Current Rates and Limits National Minimum Wage Standard Adult Rate (workers aged 21+) = £6.19 Development Rate (workers aged between 18 and 20 inclusive) = £4.98 Young Workers’ Rate (workers aged under 18 but above the compulsory school age) = £3.68 Apprenticeship Rate (apprentices under 19/those aged 19+but in the first year of their apprenticeship)
Changing employees’ contracts: Make sure you get the green light Most employers at some point will want to make changes to their employees’ terms and conditions. There will be changes such as promotions which will then lead to other changes such as an increased salary, possibly hours of work may change, a bonus provision may
Settlement Agreements What are they? In the simplest terms? Compromise agreements but with the red tape! What is wrong with compromise agreements? There were concerns about the following: cost to both sides of drafting and agreeing a settlement the complex and prescriptive wording of many agreements employer unwillingness to suggest a compromise agreement at
Warning: Why you should ALWAYS obtain legal advice from the legal profession! In a recent decision, the Supreme Court has held that if an individual or business takes legal advice from their accountant, or any other person or sector not within the legal profession, that advice is not protected by legal advice privilege. This means that
Current law: Under section 188 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, employers proposing to make 100 or more employees redundant are required to consult with their employees over a 90 day period. Proposed law: To cut the consultation period down to just 45 days and to exclude fixed-term contracts from collective
Snow joke: Getting your employees to work With the big freeze starting to form an icy shadow over parts of the UK, employers and employees alike may be wondering what impact the cold spell will have on the working week. PAYMENT OF EMPLOYEES UNABLE TO ATTEND WORK One of the most frequently asked questions is
