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Employment Law Updates 2011
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Posted in Employers on Feb 01, 2011 by Richard Hayden
Below is a brief list of forthcoming Employment Law Changes for the first 6 months of 2011.
National Minimum Wage Changes
Expenses for travel to temporary workplaces cannot be counted towards the National Minimum Wage.
Breach national minimum wage legislation - scheme for naming employers. Those found to be in breach of legislation will be given three months to address the problem.
Guarantee Pay
The Guarantee pay rate increases from £21.20 to £22.20.
Redundancy Pay
When calculating Statutory Redundancy Pay, a week’s pay will be capped at £400 (prior to 1st February £380).
Unfair Dismissal Compensation
The maximum Compensation for Unfair Dismissal increases from £65,300 to £68,400.
Retirement
Last date that employers can give 6 months notice of retirement.
Paternity Leave
New Additional Paternity Leave arrangements will give fathers an entitlement to claim up to six months' of the mother's maternity leave provided the mother returns to work. The new right applies to fathers of children due on or after 3 April 2011. The extra leave is in addition to the current two weeks’ paternity leave entitlement.
Default Retirement Age
The Default Retirement Age is abolished. Employers are no longer able to issue notifications for compulsory retirement using the DRA procedure.
Statutory Maternity/Adoption/Paternity Pay
SMP/SAP/SPP is increased from £124.88 to £128.73.
Statutory Sick Pay
SSP is increased from £79.15 to £81.60 per week.
Personal Allowance
Personal allowance for income tax for basic rate tax payers under the age of 65 will be increased by £1,000.
National Insurance Contributions
Employers’ national insurance contributions will be increased by 1% to 13.8%.
National Insurance Contributions will also be increase by 1% for employees.
The threshold at which employers pay National Insurance will be raised by £21 per week.
Time off for Training
Employees of companies with fewer than 250 employees are granted statutory right to request time off for training or study. Already in place for businesses with more than 250 employees, the change means employers have to seriously consider any training requests received.
Flexible Working
Right to request flexible working extended to parents with children under 18, (17 at present) providing the employee meets other existing qualifying criteria.
Transnational Information and Consultation of Employees (Amendment) Regulations 2010 come into force.
The Regulations provide new rights to European Works Council members and those of special negotiating bodies, for example establishing a right to time off to undergo training to help them undertake their duties.
EU blue-card Directive must be implemented
The Directive defines conditions of entry and residence for more than three months of people who are not EU citizens and who apply to be admitted to the EU for the purpose of high-qualified employment. Such people will be issued with an "EU blue card".
If you would like more information on forthcoming changes in employment legislation please contact Key Appointments and we can put you in touch with a relevant specialist.
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January 2011
National Minimum Wage Changes
Expenses for travel to temporary workplaces cannot be counted towards the National Minimum Wage.
Breach national minimum wage legislation - scheme for naming employers. Those found to be in breach of legislation will be given three months to address the problem.
February 2011
Guarantee Pay
The Guarantee pay rate increases from £21.20 to £22.20.
Redundancy Pay
When calculating Statutory Redundancy Pay, a week’s pay will be capped at £400 (prior to 1st February £380).
Unfair Dismissal Compensation
The maximum Compensation for Unfair Dismissal increases from £65,300 to £68,400.
March 2011
Retirement
Last date that employers can give 6 months notice of retirement.
April 2011
Paternity Leave
New Additional Paternity Leave arrangements will give fathers an entitlement to claim up to six months' of the mother's maternity leave provided the mother returns to work. The new right applies to fathers of children due on or after 3 April 2011. The extra leave is in addition to the current two weeks’ paternity leave entitlement.
Default Retirement Age
The Default Retirement Age is abolished. Employers are no longer able to issue notifications for compulsory retirement using the DRA procedure.
Statutory Maternity/Adoption/Paternity Pay
SMP/SAP/SPP is increased from £124.88 to £128.73.
Statutory Sick Pay
SSP is increased from £79.15 to £81.60 per week.
Personal Allowance
Personal allowance for income tax for basic rate tax payers under the age of 65 will be increased by £1,000.
National Insurance Contributions
Employers’ national insurance contributions will be increased by 1% to 13.8%.
National Insurance Contributions will also be increase by 1% for employees.
The threshold at which employers pay National Insurance will be raised by £21 per week.
Time off for Training
Employees of companies with fewer than 250 employees are granted statutory right to request time off for training or study. Already in place for businesses with more than 250 employees, the change means employers have to seriously consider any training requests received.
Flexible Working
Right to request flexible working extended to parents with children under 18, (17 at present) providing the employee meets other existing qualifying criteria.
June 2011
Transnational Information and Consultation of Employees (Amendment) Regulations 2010 come into force.
The Regulations provide new rights to European Works Council members and those of special negotiating bodies, for example establishing a right to time off to undergo training to help them undertake their duties.
EU blue-card Directive must be implemented
The Directive defines conditions of entry and residence for more than three months of people who are not EU citizens and who apply to be admitted to the EU for the purpose of high-qualified employment. Such people will be issued with an "EU blue card".
If you would like more information on forthcoming changes in employment legislation please contact Key Appointments and we can put you in touch with a relevant specialist.
At Key Appointments we want to supply you with relevant and useful information, if there are topics you would like more information on then please email us at info@key-appointments.co.uk
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