ERR Act 2013 and New Tribunal Rules
Many and varied have been the employment law reforms discussed over the last few years. Some of them finally come into force this summer. We summarise them below, with further details to follow as the clock ticks round.
25th June 2013 – a number of provisions from the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 come into force including amendments to whistleblowing law which will require disclosures to be in the public interest.
29th July 2013 – the new Employment Tribunal Rules come into force, making changes to how claims will be dealt with as they progress through the tribunal process. One very significant change will be the introduction of tribunal fees, e.g. £950 for a hearing on a discrimination claim.
Summer 2013 – the “cap” on the compensatory award for an unfair dismissal claim will be restricted to the lower amount of either one year’s gross pay or the existing limit of £74,200. Also expected is the new rule on making “pre-termination negotiations” inadmissible as evidence in a claim for unfair dismissal, intended to make it easier for an employer to sit down and have a frank discussion about parting company with an employee.
1st September 2013 – “Employee Owner” contracts will come into effect, allowing employees to sacrifice a number of employment rights in return for shares in the employer’s business, with certain tax benefits.
For more information please contact Martin Sinclair or Nicola Gray or call on 01224 632 464.
