MATERNITY & PATERNITY LEAVE: there will be an increase to the statutory pay for those on maternity and paternity leave, rising from £128.73 a week to £135.45. Effective April 2012.
SICK PAY: the amount of pay an employee is entitled to when off work sick is increasing by £4.25 to £85.85 per week. Effective April 2012.
UNFAIR DISMISSAL: the qualifying period of service to bring an unfair dismissal claim is to go from one year to two years, effective April 2012.
EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNALS: the employment tribunal procedure is expected to undergo a major review with significant changes to be introduced in early April. As it stands, a party is expected to pay a £500 deposit order to the court if they wish to continue proceedings, however this is set to increase to £1000.
PENSIONS: From 2012 changes to pensions law will affect every employer in the UK. The changes mean that employers must automatically enrol certain members of their staff into a pension scheme and make a contribution. The scheme must be a qualifying scheme suitable for automatic enrolment, meaning it must meet certain government standards. A new pension scheme, NEST (National Employment Savings Trust) has been established, it is available to any employer who chooses to use it. This will enable all employers to provide a pension scheme for their staff using NEST or, where the scheme meetings the necessary requirements, their own scheme or another pension provider. The new duties are being introduced over four years, starting with the largest employers in 2012 with other employers following up to 2016.
For more information or HR Advice Contact Mark from Connective HR
