From early April 2015 there will changes in Employment Law - are you aware of them and how this could affect your business?
An overview of the changes being made on the 5th and 6th April are:
- Statutory sick pay (SSP) rate will increase to £88.45 per week.
- The limit for a week’s pay when calculating redundancy pay will increase to £475.
- Statutory pay for maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave will increase to £139.58 per week.
- A new system of shared parental leave will be available to parents of children due to be born or placed for adoption on or after 5 April 2015
- The removal of the requirement of 26 weeks' service before employees become entitled to adoption leave, and the introduction of a new right for both single and joint adopters to attend adoption appointments together. In addition there will be a protection against suffering a detriment, or being dismissed in relation to exercising that right, and prevention of employees taking paternity leave if they have exercised a right to take paid time off to attend an adoption appointment in respect of that child.
- Adoption pay will be brought in line with maternity pay, which will be 90% of normal earning for the first six weeks.
- Provisions of the Maternity and Parental Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2014 will come into force, extending the existing unpaid parental leave regime to parents of children aged between five and 18.
- Provisions of the Paternity and Adoption Leave (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2014 to come into force, extending current rights to adoption leave contained in the Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002 to individuals fostering a child under the "Fostering for Adoption" scheme run by local authorities.
- The Shared Parental Leave and Paternity and Adoption Leave (Adoptions from Overseas) Regulations 2014 and the Statutory Shared Parental Pay (Adoption from Overseas) Regulations 2014 come into force. Together with the earlier Employment Rights Act 1996 (Application of Sections 75G and 75H to Adoptions from Overseas) Regulations 2014 (which came into force on 25 November 2014), these aim to include couples who are adopting a child from outside the UK in the right to shared parental leave and pay.
Parveen Bunglawala, Employment Solicitor at FDR Law comments "companies should take the opportunity to review the relevant employee policies to ensure they are in line with the new leglisation, and seek professional advice if unsure how these changes will affect their business"
FDR Law offer full Employment Law support and can be contacted on 01925 230000 to discuss individual business requirements.
Comments