employment legislation update

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In force from today are a number of legislative changes which will be of interest to employers. These include the new right to request time off to train and the replacement of sick notes with “fit notes”. Also expected to come into force today are various regulations relating to additional paternity leave which will affect parents of babies born or expected to be born on or after 3rd April 2011 and parents who are notified of having been matched for adoption on or after that date. For the moment, however, they still appear in their draft form but will no doubt come into force shortly.

New right to request time off to train

From 6 April 2010 employees working for employers with 250 or more employees have a new right to request time off to train. As from 6 April 2011, the right will extend to all employees, regardless of the size of their employer. The right will be available to employees only (not to other “workers”) and is subject to a qualifying period of service of 26 weeks. Employers are required to consider all requests seriously and follow a prescribed procedure. They may only refuse a request if they think that one of a number of specified business reasons set down in section 63F(7) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 apply. An employee whose application is refused can bring a claim before an Employment Tribunal but their remedies are limited to compensation of up to eight weeks’ pay and/or an order for the employer to reconsider the application.

For more information see the Government’s business link website.Continue Reading Changes in Employment Law for April 2010

Some important legislative changes are planned for 2009, including the abolition of the statutory dispute resolution procedures and the extension of the right to request flexible working for parents with children under 16. Read on for a summary of these and other expected developments which may affect your business in the year ahead.
Continue Reading What is coming up in Employment Law in 2009?

In addition to the Equality Bill which we reported on last week, recent developments include secondary legislation under the Employment Bill, draft regulations relating to terms and conditions of employment during maternity leave, draft guidance for the revised new ACAS code, EU proposals on working time, and new consultations on carers and the right to request training during employment. Read on for a brief overview of these proposals, as well as links to the relevant documentation for further reading.
Continue Reading Legislation Update