Employers news

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Stories from 2003

New Employment Relations Bill
On 2 December 2003 the Government introduced a new Employment Relations Bill. (12/03)

New anti-discrimination laws take effect
New workplace discrimination legislation makes it illegal to discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation, or because of their religion or beliefs. (12/03)

Employers and use of mobile telephones in vehicles
Employers who cause their employees to use a mobile telephone while driving a vehicle could face prosecution under news laws introduced on December 1. (11/03)

Employers not prepared for age laws
A survey has shown that few UK employers are prepared for the new anti-age discrimination laws due to affect the UK by 2006. It is predicted that the new law will lead to an explosion of Tribunal cases as employers continue to discriminate on the basis of a person’s age.(11/03)

Over 65s ruling was not sex discrimination
The Employment Appeal Tribunal has overturned a historic Tribunal victory against the law that prevents over 65’s from getting redundancy pay or claiming unfair dismissal. (11/03)

Employers 'force workers to work longer'
The Working Time Regulations are regularly flouted by employers who force workers to work more than a 48 hour week even when they have not signed an opt out. UK workers work the longest hours in Europe yet other countries still have better productivity. (11/03)

170,000 workers paid below minimum wage
About 170,000 workers are being paid less than the National Minimum wage which increased to £4.50 per hour on 1st October 2003. (11/03)

Dismissal to be 'automatically unfair'
New measures that become law in October 2004 will make it automatically unfair to dismiss an employee without following a fair procedure.(11/03)

'Resignation is stressful' – survey
Employees find resignation a stressful business according to a recent survey. Even when they resign because of poor pay and conditions they usually do not complain because they need a good reference and fear their employer’s reaction. (11/03)

"On call" time was work ruling
A Tribunal ruling could have serious implications for employers who require workers to be on "standby" outside their normal hours. (09/03)

Pressure stepped up on stress at work claims
A new study directly links stress at work to health problems as a major employer is ordered to assess its workers' stress levels by the Health and Safety Executive. (08/03)

Migrant workers exploited in UK claims new report
A lack of legal protection for the thousands of migrant workers who arrive in the UK each year is giving the green light to unscrupulous gangmasters, agencies and employers to exploit foreign workers on a massive scale, says the TUC in a report published on Monday July 14. (07/03)

Statutory disciplinary and grievance procedures go to consultation
Proposals for the implementation of statutory minimum disciplinary and grievance procedures are outlined in a consultation document issued by the DTI on Wednesday, 9 July 2003. (07/03)

Security industry not exempt from Working Time Regulations, says union after Tribunal case
All security guards are entitled to rest breaks and the security industry is not exempt from Working Time Regulations, claims the GMB union, following an Employment Tribunal ruling. (07/03)

Minimum wage loophole closed
A new law that enables employees to claim back wages from former bosses who failed to pay them the national minimum wage came into force on 8 July 2003. (07/03)

Employee consultation - Government makes "best of a bad job", says CBI
The CBI says the UK government has "made the best of a bad job" with implementation of a new EU law on employee consultation. (07/03)

Employee consultation - launch of 'no surprises' culture in UK industry
A consultative document launched by the Government sets out proposals for dealing with a controversial EU directive, the Information and Consultation Directive, which has to be turned into UK legislation by March 2005. (07/03)

Working Time Regulations extended to Transport and other excluded sectors
New measures to extend working time legislation to cover around 770,000 previously unprotected workers are introduced from August 1. The regulations affect employment sectors previously excluded from the 1998 Working Time Directive. (07/03)

Changes to discrimination legislation
New legislation is to be introduced in the UK (although not all of it will apply to Northern Ireland) to cover discrimination over race, religion and belief, sexual orientation, sex and disability. (07/03)

£140m cost of fighting age discrimination
Small businesses in the UK face a bill of between £120 and £140 million for implementing new age discrimination laws that are to be introduced to comply with a European Directive. (07/03)

SARS Epidemic
Supermarket chain ASDA has been criticised by unions because it has asked staff not to holiday in countries affected by the SARS virus, according to news reports. (05/03)

Award decision could trigger massive increase in unfair dismissal claims
The outcome of a case currently before the Employment Appeal Tribunal could have a drastic effect on the amounts of compensation awarded by Employment Tribunals for unfair dismissal. This in turn could see a massive increase in the number of cases brought by employees. (05/03)

New rights for working parents
New rights for working parents have taken effect in the UK. Not only have maternity rights been increased from April 6, 2003, but new fathers can claim paid paternity leave for the first time. New parents have a right to apply for flexible working arrangements. There is also the opportunity for paid adoption leave. (04/03)

Employment Tribunals reform announced
The Employment Tribunal service faces its biggest shake-up for 40 years after the Government unveiled plans for reforms leading to a unified tribunals service in the UK. (03/03)

Employment Relations Act working well, says review
The Employment Relations Act (1999) is succeeding in delivering better working standards and promoting a new climate of co-operation between workers and employers, according to the DTI's review, published on February 27, 2003. (02/03)

Stories from 2002

Excluded sectors to be included in Working Time Regulations -
Road, rail, air, sea, inland waterways and lake transport sectors, sea fishing, offshore work and the activities of junior doctors have been exempt from the scope of the Working Time Directive. In order to implement the Horizontal Amending Directive which extends cover to the excluded sectors and is due for implementation by August 1, 2003, the Government plans to introduce regulations amending the Working Time Regulations. (11/02)

April is target date for new regulations
Changes to rights affecting maternity, paternity and adoption leave and pay will be introduced from April 2003. (10/02)

National Minimum Wage rates go up
The National Minimum Wage rates have risen from October 1, 2002. (10/02)

New regulations taken effect
Fixed-term contract employees get protection from discrimination thanks to new legislation that takes effect on October 1, 2002. (10/02)

Fixed-Term Workers Regulations announced
New legislation due to take effect on October 1, 2002 will protect the rights of people employed on fixed-term contracts. (07/02)

Employment Act 2002
The Employment Bill has received Royal Assent and has become the Employment Act 2002. (07/02)

Young Workers Directive - new draft regulations are issued
Revised draft regulations to fully comply with the Young Workers Directive have been announced. (06/02)

New leave rights for working parents on the way
A shake-up of leave rights for working parents is due to take effect early next year. (06/02)

Fixed Term Work Regulations delayed until October
The Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002, which were due to come into force on July 10th, will not be implemented until October 1, 2002, the Government has announced. (06/02)

Working Time Regulations don't comply with EU Directive, complains union
Britain's interpretation of the European Working Time Directive which led to the introduction of the Working Time Regulations in the UK, has been challenged. (05/02)

New Euro-law will make employers introduce measures to stop discrimination at work by 2005
The EU is to introduce new provisions to require employers to take preventative measures against all forms of discrimination, and especially sexual harassment. (05/02)

Tribunal compensation increased
From Friday 1st February 2002 the limits for compensation awarded by Employment Tribunals have been increased. (02/02)

Flexible working is included in Employment Bill
An amendment to the Employment Bill will introduce new regulations giving certain employees a right to apply to change their working hours to look after a child. (01/02)

Stories from 2001

Employment Bill is introduced - November 2001
The Government's new Employment Bill got its First Reading before Parliament on November 8. It is intended to come into effect in April 2003. The main areas covered by the Bill are paternity and adoption leave and pay, maternity leave and pay, employment tribunal reform and resolving disputes between employers and employees.

Legislation changes for October - October 2001
Some important changes in the law affecting employers take place in October 2001, including an amendment to the Working Time Regulations which removes the 13 week qualifying period to annual leave entitlement for new employees.

Minimum Wage goes up - October 2001
The minimum wage has increased by 40p an hour, giving more than a million low paid workers an extra £14 a week.

Tribunal system "out of control" - CBI - September 2001
The CBI says the cost to business of Employment Tribunals has risen 50 per cent in just two years, exacerbating fears that the "compensation culture" has well and truly arrived.

Tribunal claims "tip of iceberg" warning - July 2001
Employment Tribunal claims have trebled in the past decade and a new Government report warns this could be the “tip of the iceberg”.

Fixed term work legislation delayed - July 2001
The Government is taking extra time to consider responses to a consultation exercise before implementing the Fixed Term Work Directive.

Annual leave - regulations to be changed - July 2001
The 13 week qualifying period before workers get an entitlement to four weeks paid annual leave under the Working Time Regulations has been ruled as contrary to the original Directive by the European Court of Justice.

Young workers to get Minimum Wage increase from October 1 - July 2001
Young workers (18-21 years old) are to benefit from an increase in the development rate of the National Minimum Wage from £3.20 an hour to £3.50 an hour from October 1.

Parental Leave to be extended - April 2001
All parents with children under five will soon be able to take parental leave, Trade and Industry Secretary, Stephen Byers announced on Wednesday (April 25, 2001).

More protection for fixed-term workers - March 2001
People who are employed on fixed term contracts look set to get the right to the same benefits as permanent employees plus potentially greater job protection when a European Directive becomes law in the UK this Summer.

Increased rights for new parents - March 2001
The Government has announced the right to paid paternity leave for working fathers, extended maternity leave and staged increases in the amount of Statutory Maternity Pay.

Minimum Wage increased to £4.10 - March 2001
The National Minimum Wage goes up to £4.10 an hour in October.

Small businesses to prepare for disability discrimination laws by 2004 - March 2001
Small businesses are going to have to comply with tough rules to prevent discrimination against disabled people in the workplace. The Government intendes to abolish the small business exemption clause, which excuses employers with less than 15 employees from having to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act, by 2004.

Legal Aid for Tribunal applicants? - March 2001
Employees who complain to Employment Tribunals about their employers could get Legal Aid to fund their case. It is already happening in Scotland, thanks to the Human Rights Act, and many lawyers believe it will soon extend to England and Wales too.

Stories from 2000

Countdown to Stakeholder Pensions - November 2000
In less than one year almost all employers with more than 5 employees will be required to offer access to a stakeholder pension scheme. Although there are no requirements for employers to make financial contributions to the scheme there are many other considerations.

Tribunal complaints are up 32 per cent - official figure - October 2000
Official figures released in the ACAS Annual Report show that individual complaints to Employment Tribunals are up by virtually a third over the previous year.

Directors attack "compensation culture" - October 2000
The new “compensation culture” among employees is a threat to competitiveness, according to a policy group which represents company directors in the UK.

Human Rights Act implemented - October 2000
The Human Rights Act 1998 has been implemented with effect from October 2, 2000.

National Minimum Wage increased - October 2000
The National Minimum Wage has risen from £3.60 to £3.70 an hour.

Right to be accompanied is introduced - September 2000
The right for all workers to be accompanied at certain disciplinary and grievance hearings by either a fellow worker or a trade union official, came into force on 4 September, 2000.

Trade Union Recognition - new legislation - May 2000
New legislation which puts in place a new statutory procedure for trade union recognition comes into effect from June 6. It applies if more than half of the workforce, in a workplace where there are 21 or more workers, are in favour of union recognition.

Part time workers legislation comes in on July 1 - May 2000
Legislation designed to prevent discrimination against part-time workers will take effect from July 1.