Bond Pearce

A month-by-month guide to key new legislation for 2013

Track major UK employment law changes throughout 2013, including increased tribunal compensation limits, expanded parental leave to 18 weeks, reduced redundancy consultation periods, and new tribunal fees and procedures. Key legislation spanning February through summer covers flexible working rights, employee shareholder status, and whistleblowing protections.

By Bond Pearce

Here is a list of the key new legislation that we can expect to see over the weeks and months ahead (source – law firm, Bond Pearce):

1 February: Employment tribunal compensation limits will increase under the Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order 2012.
February: Rounding up of increases to statutory redundancy payments and tribunal award limits.
8 March: Implementation of the Revised Parental Leave Directive, which will increase parental leave to 18 weeks.
March: Repeal of the third party harassment provisions and the abolition of discrimination questionnaires in respect of the Equality Act 2010.
6 April: Collective redundancy consultation period involving 100 or more employees reduced from 90 to 45 days and employees whose fixed-term contracts are due to expire excluded from consultation requirements.
April: New statutory payment rates to be introduced.
April: The Children and Families Bill will be introduced, setting out a new system of flexible parental leave and flexible working.
April: The new Employment Tribunals Rules of Procedures will come into force.
April: The Growth and Infrastructure Bill 2012-13 is planned to come into effect introducing the concept of employee shareholder status.
April: A public interest requirement to whistleblowing disclosures will be introduced.
Summer: Fees will be introduced in the employment tribunal
Expected in 2013: Aspects of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill 2012-13 are due to come into force including:
Mandatory pre-claim Acas conciliation
Enhanced shareholder rights regarding directors’ remuneration; reform of the EHRC designed to clarify its remit, remove non-core activities and improve performance
Changes to employment tribunal procedure and the orders a tribunal can make
Pre-termination negotiations to be inadmissible in unfair dismissal proceedings
EAT judges to sit alone unless they direct otherwise
Tribunal powers to order equal pay audits.

Also due later this year are:

The Government’s response to the annual leave aspects of the Modern Workplaces consultation.
The Government’s response to consultation on the use of settlement agreements, including proposals on the use of a model agreement, standard letters
A new ACAS Code of Practice on settlements.