The Queen’s Speech is to be given any minute now and most employment lawyers will probably be watching the speech with a mixture of interest and trepidation.
The Institute of Directors (IOD) weighed in saying that today was the last chance for the Government to save the economy by “unleashing business”. A survey of IOD members showed that 65% of them thought the economic conditions were having a negative effect on their business and 45% blamed too much regulation. The press release said;
Guest Post
March 14 saw the announcement of the introduction of new rules regarding employment tribunals, with the government attempting to streamline the process.
Employment Relations Minister Jo Swinson made the announcement, bringing to an end a long running review which began in November 2011. Employment tribunals had previously been a lengthy process, surrounded by a great deal of complicated legislation. The changes announced by Swinson are designed to make the process easier for both employees and employers alike, helping to ensure a swifter resolution to any workplace issues. The proposals are expected to come into place during the summer of 2013.
“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.
“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”
“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.
“You must be,” said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
There are times – many times – when I think I’m going mad and yesterday was one of them. The Department for Business Innovation & Skills published a study called The Employer Perceptions and Impact of Employment Regulation study.
Guest Post
Earlier this month, the government announced a new bill, hoping to change the way new mothers and fathers can take time off from work after a birth. The Children and Families Bill was published on the 5th February 2013, and promises a big shake up of special needs help, adoption and parental leave laws.
Calling the old rules “old fashioned and rigid,” the Bill will allow new parents to “mix and match” how they care for their new born child for the first year of life, enabling them to work alternate months for the first twelve.
In last week’s Solicitors’ Journal there was an interesting article on a proposed amendment to the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill which may make it significantly harder for employees to succeed with personal injury claims against their employer. A subscription is needed to read the whole article.
From 1st February 2013 an Employment Tribunal will be able to award no more than £74,200 (currently £72,300) by way of a compensatory award in unfair dismissal cases. In discrimination and whistleblowing cases there is no cap on the maximum amount of the award.
The maximum amount of a week’s pay, used to calculate the statutory redundancy payment and also the Basic and Additional Awards will also increase from £430 to £450 per week.
Photoshop Politics by Dylan Jeavons
On Wednesday the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed, in what was misleadingly called the “Autumn” rather than the more appropriate “Bleak Midwinter” statement, that the plan for employee owners will go ahead, repeating what the government had said the day before in its “Implementing Employee Owner Status” response to consultation.
The detail has been well reported and discussed elsewhere – see for instance HR Bullet’s excellent and succinct summary by clicking here
Photoshop Politics by Dylan Jeavons
Just as you thought it was safe to go out, along comes the Tory party conference with the Chancellor of the Exchequer looking to grab the headlines – and succeeding.
Guest post
The bill
After the recent controversial Beecroft Report on employment law reforms, which planned to make it easier for firms to sack under-performing staff, the Government has decided to bring forward the release of its Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill.
The Bill contains a number of employment-related measures aimed at creating strong, sustainable and balanced growth in the UK economy. While the proposed changes to compromise agreements, dispute resolution, fines on employers and whistle blowing claims have been widely reported, arguably the most significant measure in the Bill is to give the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills the power to change the compensatory award for unfair dismissal.
In my last blog I wrote that the business lobby was unlikely to be impressed by the Government’s reforms of employment law. Then today I came across a report in Xpert HR, the online HR website and journal, stating that 62% of members of the Institute of Directors (IoD) believe that the government has been “ineffective” in its attempts to “simplify” employment law. Coincidentally another survey, this time on behalf of Brook Street was also published, in which only 9% of those polled thought UK employment law was “fit for purpose”.