- Increase In National Minimum Wage ("NMW")
Rates
From 1st October, the new increased NMW rates are as follows:
- For workers aged 16 and 17: £3.53 (from £3.40)
- For workers aged 18 – 21: £4.77 (from £4.60)
- For workers aged 22 and over: £5.73 (from
£5.52)
- Requirement To Display An Employer's Liability
Insurance Certificate Amended
In order to cut levels of administration in businesses, the requirement to display one or more copies of an employer's liability insurance certificate in each place of business has been amended, with effect from 1st October, making an electronic form of the certificate acceptable. This is provided that employees have reasonable access to the current policy certificate electronically, for example, via a company intranet site. In addition, the requirement for an employer to retain a copy of its employer's liability insurance certificate for 40 years, has been removed.
See: The Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) (Amendment) Regulations 2008, which can be viewed here: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/uksi_20081765_en_1
- Terms And Conditions For Women On Additional Maternity
Leave ("AML")
Women with an expected week of childbirth beginning on or after 5th October will be entitled to the same terms and conditions of employment during AML as when they were on ordinary maternity leave. This is an important change which should be reflected in your maternity policies.
- The Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention Of Less Favourable
Treatment) (Amendment) Regulations 2008
With effect from 27th October, these Regulations remove the provision which currently excludes agency workers placed for less than 3 months from entitlement to statutory sick pay.
- Employment And Support Allowance
Employment and Support Allowance has been introduced as a new benefit, to replace Incapacity Benefit and Income Support on the basis of incapacity. The Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2008 come into force on 27th October and can be viewed here: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/uksi_20080794_en_1
Disclaimer
The material contained in this article is of the nature of general comment only and does not give advice on any particular matter. Recipients should not act on the basis of the information in this e-update without taking appropriate professional advice upon their own particular circumstances.
