What To Expect In 2012 And Beyond

As you all know, following on from our articles last year ( New law and Planned law reforms), there are some major changes afoot in the heady world of employment law. Whilst the detail of these changes remain what one might call, 'sketchy', we thought it might be useful if we took a bird's eye view of what the new legal landscape may look like.

Unfair dismissal qualifying period (6 April 2012)

It is expected that, from 6 April 2012, the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims will increase from one to two years. Will this apply to existing employees, i.e., those with less than two years' service at 6 April 2012 or only new starters after that date? Who knows?! However, the last time that the qualifying period changed it only applied to those commencing employment after the date that the change came into force and our guess would be that it will be the same again this time round. So, if you are thinking about a recruitment drive you may wish to hold off