A series of legislative changes have been announced as part of the Common Commencement Date (CCD). This event, which happens twice a year, is where key government departments issue new regulations and change existing ones.
Some changes simplify existing legislation and others strengthen regulation of businesses. Many of these may have an impact either directly on providers or indirectly, due to the changes imposed on employers or partners.
Removal of various health and safety requirements including the requirement for employers to register their premises with the Health & Safety Executive or the local authority. Some employers will still have to register their businesses to meet other requirements eg food safety.
Enforcing the national minimum wage (NMW) with new controls, a new formula for arrears and increased penalties; those who don’t comply will be issued with an automatic penalty of up to £5,000. The most serious cases could be subject to an unlimited fine.
Replacement of the statutory dismissal and disciplinary procedures (SDDPs) by a more flexible regime. Where a trigger event occurs on or after 6 April 2009, employers should now follow a fair and reasonable procedure in accordance with the ACAS code of practice.
Removal of statutory grievance procedures (SGPs). Employers will no longer have to follow the appropriate SGP for grievances raised with a ‘trigger event’ that occurs on or after 6 April 2009.
Increased enforcement powers of employment agency standards inspectors. The Employment Act 2008 will strengthen the enforcement regime to target employment agencies and employment businesses that contravene employment agency standards or fail to comply with an order.
More details on all of these changes can be found on the Business Link website or by following the links in the PDF document below.
Please click the PDF logo to download details of the updates to regulations.