| The government has
launched a new consultation on plans to
improve the way in which workplace
disputes are resolved. The proposals,
published on 27 January alongside an
Employer’s Charter, come after tribunal
claims rose to 236,000 last year – a
record figure and a rise of 56 per cent on
2009 – with businesses involved each
spending an average of almost £4,000 to
defend a claim.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
“Disputes in the workplace cost time and
money, can affect morale, reduce
productivity and hold back businesses.
“We often hear that knife-edge
decisions about whether to hire new staff
can be swung by concerns about ending up
in an employment tribunal if things don’t
work out. [Our] proposals address these
concerns and should help give employers
more confidence.” They include:
- increasing the qualifying period for
employees to be able to bring a claim
for unfair dismissal from one to two
years
- encouraging parties to resolve
disputes between themselves as early as
possible, requiring all claims to be
lodged with Acas (the Advisory,
Conciliation and Arbitration Service) in
the first instance to allow pre-claim
conciliation to be offered
- speeding up the tribunal process
- tackling weak and vexatious claims.
The consultation runs until 20 April
2011.
LINK:
Workplace dispute reforms press release
The Employer's Charter is designed to
dismiss some of the myths about what
employers can and cannot do in managing
their workforce.
It tells employers what they are
reasonably entitled to ask and know about
employees and what action they can take if
there are problems.
LINK:
Employer’s Charter |
