March 2024 Employment Law Updates
Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 - Statutory Code of Practice to be published to support with the Act.
The Guidance is expected to be a support for new rules on tips, gratuities and service charges, to ensure tips are paid to employees without deductions and in a fair and transparent way.
April 2024 Employment Law Updates
1st April 2024:
New National Minimum Wage rates apply from 1 April 2024.
The following new rates will apply:
- National Living Wage (21 and over): £11.44
- 18-20 year old rate: £8.60
- 16-17 year old rate: £6.40
- Apprentice rate: £6.40
- Accommodation offset: £9.99
New holiday entitlement and holiday pay rules for irregular hours and part-year workers, only if the holiday year starts on 1st April 2024.
The changes will then take place from the outset of any holiday year after 1st April 2024. Please see separate guidance note: Changes to Holiday Pay Calculations from 2024 - Guidance Note - Wirehouse Employer Services (wirehouse-es.com).
6th April 2024:
New rules will come into force making it easier for employees to submit flexible working requests.
- Right to make a flexible working request becomes day 1 right. The requirement for 26 weeks service to make the request is abolished from this date, employees will be able to make requests of this nature from day one of their employment.
- Employee’s will no longer have to detail any effect the proposed changes will have on the business, and how that effect will be overcome.
- Employee’s will be entitled to two requests in any 12 month period, as long as they are not made whilst another application is already being considered.
- Employer’s will only be able to decline a request following consultation with the employee.
- The overall period in time for consideration of a request will be reduced from 3 to 2 months, unless otherwise agreed between parties.
Extra Redundancy Protection Granted to Pregnant Workers and New Parents.
This is an extension to the provisions already in place for those on maternity leave.
Employers will be required to offer suitable alternative vacancies to the below groups of employees who are at risk of redundancy:
- pregnant employees – from the date the employer is notified of pregnancy until maternity leave starts or until 2 weeks after end of pregnancy where pregnancy ends.
- maternity and adoption leavers - for 18 months from the date of the expected week of childbirth (or the child’s birth if the employer is informed) or placement for adoption/date the child enters Great Britain
- shared parental leavers – for 18 months after the child’s birth or placement (or date they enter Great Britain). Extra rules apply for partners.
Carers Leave
Unpaid carers will have the right to a flexible, unpaid, week off work per year to care for dependents with long-term care needs.
July 2024 Employment Law Updates
1st July 2024:
New rules on TUPE consultations for employers with less than 50 employees on payroll.
The need to elect employee representatives will be removed for transfers that occur after 1st July 2024 in the following situations:
- Where a business or organisation has less than 50 employees
- Where a business or organisation of any size is involved in a transfer of less than 10 employees.
Employers in these circumstances will be able to consult directly with affected employees.
September 2024 Employment Law Updates
Workers and agency workers are able to request a predictable working pattern, this will be a statutory right and is likely to come into force as of September this year.
The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 gives workers and agency workers a statutory right to request a predictable working pattern.
A Code of Practice on handling requests will be released in due course.
October 2024 Employment Law Updates
Duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees.
The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 creates a new duty on all employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees in the course of their employment.
Guidance for employers will be released in due course.
Commencement date to be confirmed
Paternity leave
Employees will be entitled to take their two weeks paternity leave in two separate blocks of one week each, at any time in the first year after birth / adoption. Fathers will be required to give 28 days’ notice before each period of leave.
If you need advice regarding these updates give us a call on 033 33 215 005
