award of compensation for unfair dismissal.
A BUSY YEAR AHEAD FOR EMPLOYMENT LAW
4 January 2012 HR Bullets has produced a useful summary of the main expected employment law developments for 2012. 2012 will be a busy year on the employment law front as the government progresses its aim of reducing regulatory burdens on business. Summarised below are the main expected developments together with the likely start dates. Further information and comment on all of these can be found in HR Bullet’s Law Tracker . 31 January · Closure date for calls for evidence on the effectiveness of TUPE and the scope of the collective redundancy rules - may result in a formal consultation later in the year 1 February · New tribunal award limits come into force 6 March · Consultation closes on fees in tribunals and the EAT April · Expected that qualifying period for unfair dismissal will increase to 2 years · Various tribunal reforms to take effect, e.g. increase in deposit orders and costs awards · Unpaid parental leave to increase to 4 months · Working time rules to be amended to allow holiday to be carried forward in limited circumstances · Maternity/paternity/adoption pay increases · SSP increases October · Pensions auto-enrolment begins for larger employers · National minimum wage may increase, depending on what the Low Pay Commission recommends in February · Developments with no confirmed date but likely to be progressed in 2012 · Penalties for employers who breach of employment rights · Early compulsory ACAS conciliation of all tribunal claims · Amendment of whistleblowing rules so that disclosures about breaches of employment contracts are no longer covered · Compromise agreements to be simplified · Consultation on ‘protected conversations’ between employers and staff about employment issues without risk of dispute · Consultation on rapid resolution scheme as alternative to tribunal for low-value and straightforward disputes · ACAS Disciplinary and Grievance Code to be ‘looked at’ with a view to a simpler dismissal process Appeals in age discrimination cases As well as the above legislative developments, early 2012 may see some clarity shed by the appeal courts on various age discrimination issues. An appeal from the EAT’s decision in Woodcock v Cumbria Primary Care Trust was heard by the Court of Appeal in December 2011 – the issue here being whether cost alone can ever justify discrimination. The decision
CIPP Policy News Journal
09/10/2012, Page 216 of 234
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