Maximum Basic Award for Unfair dismissal/Statutory Redundancy Payment £10,500
Cap on a Week’s pay £350
Maximum Compensatory Award for Unfair Dismissal £66,200
• 1st April 2009
Increase in entitlement to statutory leave under the Working Time Regulations 1998 from 4.8 weeks (24 days) for a full-time employee to 5.6 weeks (28 days).
• 6th April 2009
Employment Act 2008 – repeal of the statutory minimum procedures and change of Tribunal Procedures including allowing an Employment Judge to hear more cases on his or her own (without the panel of 3 that normally hears cases).
Revised ACAS Code of Practice on discipline and grievance.
The Government has indicated that the change in the flexible working legislation to extend rights to those parents with children under 16 will come into force at this time.
Statutory Sick Pay increases to £79.15.
• 1st October 2009
Change in National Minimum Wage – no rates announced yet.
Changes to laws governing employment agencies are timetabled for October – the consultation on this is still ongoing. Likely date for legislation on extending agency workers rights compared to permanent staff.
Likely date for the Equality Act? It will consolidate existing legislation, outlaw pay secrecy clauses, give tribunals dealing with discrimination claims the ability to make recommendations which apply to the whole workforce and not just to the successful claimant, create a single public sector equality duty and enable employers to take positive action when selecting between two equally qualified candidates.
• 2010
Likely introduction of the increases in paternity leave under the Work and Families Act 2006.
• 2012
Employers forced to enrol employees into pension schemes.
