Patricks+Homework

Social Sin A raft of changes to the way your employer can treat you will be introduced this summer in a bill that, critics say, will make it quicker and cheaper to sack staff. When announcing the proposals, he said: "We want to make sure that the right conditions are in place to encourage investment and exports, boost enterprise, support green growth and build a responsible business culture. The bill will help ensure that people who work hard and do the right thing are rewarded." However, staff who feel they have been unfairly sacked will find it far more difficult to get redress. Among the changes will be a cap on compensation for unfair dismissal and the introduction of charges for bringing a claim. The measures come on top of a recent increase – from one to two years – in the time employees have to work for their firm before they can file an unfair dismissal claim. In addition, once the bill is passed the consultation period, where 100 or more redundancies are being made, will be halved from 90 to 45 days. The proposal to cap payouts means there will soon be a limit of 12 months' pay or £74,200, whichever is the lower. Although typical settlements for unfair dismissal are far less than the cap, the bill also allows the cap to be lowered in future, to between £25,882 – the current average annual salary – and £77,646. The introduction of charges once the bill is passed will mean workers will have to pay to take their case to a tribunal – which, until now, has been free. The proposed new fees will be £250 for lodging a standard claim and a further £950 if it goes to a hearing. For someone who has lost their job, the total £1,200 may be a serious hurdle, especially as it comes as help with legal fees is being drastically scaled back. Explanation: 