October is usually the month where a number of new employment law changes are introduced. 2014 is no different. It has been an unusually busy year for changes in the employment sector already, with changes to parental leave and the introduction of early conciliation. What are the headline changes in October? Please read on:
New Rights For Fathers And Partners To Take Antenatal Related Time Off Work
From October, fathers and partners of a pregnant woman will be entitled to time off to attend an antenatal appointment on up to two occasions. Employees will be eligible to take advantage of the new right straight away without accruing a minimum period of service.
Employment Tribunals Must Order Equal Pay Audits
Where an equal pay claim is submitted on or after 1 October 2010, and the employment tribunal finds that there has been an equal pay breach, it must order the employer to carry out an equal payauditunless an exception applies.
National Minimum Wage Increases
With effect from 1 October 2014 the minimum wage increases from £6.31 to £6.50. The youth rate increases from £5.03 to £5.13 per hour.
Armed Forces Reservists Better Protected Against Unfair Dismissal
With effect from 1 October 2014, where an employee has been dismissed exclusively (or mainly) because they are a member of reserve force, the normal two-year service requirement for bringing an unfair dismissal claim does not apply, and an employee may pursue a claim immediately.
For more information on this subject or any other area of Employment Law please contact David Denovan-Smith ()
The contents of this article are for the purposes of general awareness only. They do not purport to constitute legal or professional advice. The law may have changed since this article was published. Readers should not act on the basis of the information included and should take appropriate professional advice upon their own particular circumstances
