The changes have been brought in despite Northern Ireland currently having no government in place. It may be that further changes which have been on hold (which include Gender Pay Gap reporting and changes to zero hours contracts) may be similarly implemented without notice.
The Employment Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (Commencement No. 1) Order (Northern Ireland) 2017
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Hidden maternity discrimination in confidentiality clauses 13 October 2017
Pinsent Masons writes about a report which claims that the scale of women who suffer from maternity discrimination is effectively 'hidden' by confidentiality clauses in Settlement Agreements.
A report for the BBC Victoria Derbyshire programme claims that the scale of women who suffer from maternity discrimination is effectively 'hidden' by confidentiality clauses in Settlement Agreements. Rather than pursuing litigation, the report suggests that some women are accepting offers from their employers which leave them unable to discuss how they have been treated due to confidentiality clauses. A 2015 report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission asserted that, of the more than 3,000 mothers who took part, around one in nine felt they had suffered discrimination because of their status, being dismissed, made compulsorily redundant or treated poorly and forced to leave their jobs.
Read more from Pinsent Masons employment briefing.
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Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill 16 October 2017
Parents who are employed and have suffered the death of a child can receive statutory paid leave and pay when the Parental Bereavement Bill becomes an act of law.
The Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill was formally introduced to Parliament (known as the first reading) in July. There is no debate on the Bill at the first reading stage.
The Bill is now expected to have its second reading debate on Friday 20 October 2017.
When the Bill receives Royal Assent and becomes an act of law, it will amend the Employment Rights Act (ERA) 1996 to entitle parents who lose a child (under 18) to two weeks of statutory parental bereavement leave.
Currently the ERA gives a “day one” right for an employee to have ‘reasonable’ time off work to deal with an emergency, such as a bereavement involving a dependant. ‘Reasonable’ is not defined and will depend on the situation. An employer does not have to pay an employee for this time away from work but many employers offer paid special or compassionate leave. Only employees with at least 26 weeks of continuous service will be entitled to statutory parental bereavement pay, as long their normal weekly earnings for the period of 8 weeks ending with the relevant week are not less than the current lower earnings limit.
All employees, regardless of length of service, will be entitled to two weeks of statutory parental bereavement leave.
Acas has a ‘ good practice guide ’ to help employers prepare for managing bereavement in the workplace by having a clear bereavement policy and by training managers and selected staff to have compassionate and effective conversations with bereaved employees.
The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Policy News Journal
cipp.org.uk
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