Key Legislative Changes in 2003 and Beyond - Employment Law News Spring 2003

01 April 2003

1 February 2003

• Employment Tribunal awards upper limits increased: statutory week's pay from £250 to £260; compensatory award for unfair dismissal from £52,600 to £53,500

6 April 2003

• Extension of family friendly rights in the workplace (see inside pages)
• The Working Time (Amendment) Regulations 2002 come into force implementing the EC's Young Workers Directive and prohibiting workers under 18 years old from working more than 8 hours per day or 40 hours a week and severely restricting night working

April 2003

• Equal Pay Questionnaire to be introduced for equal pay claims

19 July 2003

• Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003 to be in force, altering the definition of indirect race discrimination, changing the burden of proof and introducing harassment provisions

1 August 2003

• The Working Time (Amendment) Regulations 2003 will extend the scope of working time regulation to non-mobile workers in previously excluded sectors, and to mobile workers in previously excluded sectors to the extent not covered/to be covered by industry specific regulation

November 2003

• EC due to report on the current 48 hour week opt out

December 2003

• The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, and corresponding Sexual Orientation regulations, will come into force making it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of religion or belief, or sexual orientation

April 2004

• Statutory dismissal and disciplinary procedures and statutory grievance procedures will be introduced

Spring 2004

• Revisions to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 expected to be in force

October 2004

• Further amendments to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, principally to remove the small employer exemption and widen the current definition of disability

March 2005

• The Road Transport Directive to be implemented in the UK, extending working time rights to mobile workers performing road transport activity
• UK to have implemented the Information and Consultation Directive, affecting undertakings with 150 plus employees, with delayed commencement dates possible for undertakings with 100 plus employees (March 2007) and 50 plus employees (March 2008)

December 2006

• Legislation outlawing age discrimination to be in force (though the courts seem set to develop this area in the interim)

Meanwhile...

• Europe continues to debate a proposed directive on temporary agency workers, broadly providing that they enjoy employment and working conditions as if employed by the user organisation

N.B. This information is intended as a broad guide only. It is comprehensive neither in respect of employment legislation due nor in respect of the subject matter and detail of items listed.

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