13 April 2005

New employment legislation in force on 6 April 2005

A raft of new employment legislation came into force on 6 April 2005, including new provisions relating to pension protection, trade union recognition and statutory maternity pay. Some of the main changes include: - Employment Relations Act 2004: the majority of the remaining provisions come into force, including new protection for employees absent from work on jury service, and improved protection from detrimental treatment for employees taking lawful industrial action - Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004: these Regulations set out minimum rights for employees to be informed and consulted by their employers in respect of a number of workplace issues - Pensions Act 2004: employees subject to a TUPE transfer will be entitled to have an occupational pension scheme provided by the transferee employer - Statutory Maternity Pay (General) and the Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2005: ensure that, for the purposes of calculating entitlement to SMP, SAP and SPP, continuity of employment is not affected by reinstatement or re-engagement following a dispute resolution procedure - Statutory Maternity Pay (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2005: ensure mothers benefit from pay rises awarded while away on maternity leave - National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999 (Amendment) Regulations 2004: give 'output workers' a more generous minimum wage based on the calculation of a 'fair' piece rate