Employment Law: Changes coming into force on 6th April 2014

Employment Law (UK) is changing.

Changes coming into force on 6th April 2014.

The following provides a short brief of the changes to be expected on 6th April 2014:

• Discrimination questionnaires will be abolished.
  This will be replaced with a new system under which those who think they may have been discriminated against, such as employees or job applicants, can ask questions regarding discrimination in the workplace

• Mandatory pre-claim Acas conciliation will be introduced.
  Claimants will have to submit details of their dispute to ACAS before bringing a claim.  At this point they will be offered pre-claim early conciliation for 1 month.

• Financial penalties for losing employers are to be imposed by Tribunals.
  Tribunals will have the power at their discretion to impose a financial penalty, of 50% of a financial award, on employers who lose at Tribunal.

• Abolition of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) record-keeping. Employers will be able to use a record keeping system that suits their Organisation.

• Increases to SMP/SPP/SAP & SSP on 6th April 2014.
  Statutory Maternity, Statutory Paternity and Statutory Adoption Pay: Prescribed weekly rates up from £136.78 to £138.18. Statutory Sick Pay: Weekly rate up from £86.70 to £87.55

Further information or free and confidential advice surrounding employment law can be found at  https://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1461