| Press Release |
 Changes announced in Employment Law - 27 April 2009
Victoria Solomon, partner and employment law expert at Treasures Solicitors LLP in Gloucester is advising businesses to heed the recent changes. “Significant changes to employment law have changed the way workplace grievance and disciplinary disputes are handled and it is important that employers understand the implications of the new Code of Practice” she said.
“As from 6 April the previous three-step statutory grievance and disciplinary procedures, have been replaced by a new Code of Practice from ACAS, (the independent Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) bringing with it an emphasis on finding an early resolution to workplace disputes,” she continued.
“While it is no longer certain that any failure to follow the Code will result in an ‘automatic’ finding of unfair dismissal, Tribunals do have the discretion to increase or decrease an award by up to 25% if they find that either party has ‘unreasonably’ failed to follow the Code. This means that unless you are familiar with it and its principles, you might end up facing even more expensive claims. Full details of the new Code can be found on the ACAS website, at www.acas.org.uk.
If the disciplinary or grievance case was started before 6 April 2009, the three-stage statutory procedure will still apply. So it is crucial that businesses understand which process they should be following during this transitional phase” she concluded.
For further information please call Victoria Solomon on 01452 525351.
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