General

Information and Consultation
Fixed Term Employees
Employment Tribunal Statistics
Most Recent Changes
Training
Letters from GP’s

1. Information and Consultation

All businesses with 50 or more employees are now required to enter into Information and Consultation arrangements with employees, including a formal agreement, if 15 or more employees request it in writing. The Company must comply with the requirements within three months of receiving the request.

2. Fixed Term Employees

With effect from October 2008, agency workers for less than three months duration are now entitled to Statutory Sick Pay where they were not entitled previously

3. Employment Tribunal Statistics

The number of cases in Employment Tribunals was 236,100 in 2009-10, and increase of 56% on 2008-2009. This increase was due to:

a 90% rise from 2008-09 in the number of multiple claims;
a 14% rise from 2008-09 in single claims; and
the changing economic climate

The Employment Tribunal had 404,800 cases outstanding, which is up from 290,200 the previous year.

4. Most Recent Changes

Changes effective during April 2009, affect Disciplinary Procedures; standard letters referring to them; flexible working; SMP and SSP; Employment Tribunal Claim forms; and an announcement of an increase in the “week’s pay” in relation to Redundancy later in the year. The Worker Registration Scheme applicable to Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary instead of ending on 30th April 200 will continue for a further two years. Employers failing to ensure their employees comply can be fined up to £5,000.

5. Training

A new right to request time off for training will apply from April 2010 in organisations with 250 or more staff, and from 2011 in all other organisations.

6.GP letters

”Fit notes” will replace GP’s sick notes from 6 April 2011.