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February 2012
Putting lawyers in touch with the youth of Oldham
Pearson Hinchliffe partner, Michael Pitt, takes over as 2012 Oldham Law Association President.
MoreAcas code of practice on discipline and grievance, approved by BERR
13th November 2008
The draft ACAS code of practice on discipline and grievance has been approved by the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
The code will now be placed before Parliament for final approval before coming into force in April 2009. The revised code, which replaces the, much maligned, statutory dispute resolution procedures, draws on the Gibbons Review of employment dispute resolution and public consultation by ACAS earlier in the year.
When the new code is in force, unlike under the current statutory grievance and disciplinary procedures, employees will no longer be barred from lodging an Employment Tribunal claim without first raising a grievance; and an employer's failure to follow the code will not result in a finding of automatic unfair dismissal.
Nevertheless, tribunals will be able to adjust any award by up to 25 percent for unreasonable failure to comply with any provision of the code. As a result of consultation, the current version of the code requires both employees and employers to act consistently and deal with the issues promptly and without unreasonable delay.
Pearson Hinchliffe Commercial Law’s employment department head, Michael Pitt, commented, “The new code is an important part of the government's plans to streamline the current system, by encouraging disputes to be handled internally, thereby saving money and time. Having taken into account the consultation process, in this revised code ACAS has certainly delivered a shorter and simpler document; and that seems to be a sensible move forward.”
In most respects the procedure envisaged by the code remains similar to that operated under the statutory grievance and disciplinary procedures with a written stage, followed by a meeting and a chance to appeal.
Further information:
http://www.acas.org.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=961&p=0
Source: Acas, 11/11/2008
Click here to contact a specialist employment lawyer.
January 2012
Company and commercial law reforms to reduce red tape
Companies of all shapes and sizes have been asked for their views on how to tackle unnecessary bureaucracy in company and commercial law.
MoreJanuary 2012
Increase in unfair dismissal qualifying period will apply only to new employees
From 6 April 2012 the qualifying period of service for making a claim increases from one to two years.
MoreJanuary 2012
Maximum compensation for unfair dismissal increases from 1 February 2012
Annual revision of employment tribunal award limits and other amounts payable under employment legislation.
MoreDecember 2011
Health and safety laws to be cut by half
Government plans to slash health and safety red tape will mean substantial savings for small firms, business groups have said.
MoreNovember 2011
Weight Watchers case: the importance to employers of employment status.
The Upper Tier Tribunal holds 1,700 ‘leaders’ at Weight Watchers were employees for tax purposes.
MoreSeptember 2011
How to Conduct a Disciplinary Hearing
A recent presentation by Employment solicitor, Susan Mayall, setting out the stages for handling a disciplinary, referencing the ACAS Code of Conduct.
June 2011
ACAS Advice leaflet “Holidays and Holiday Pay”
Download the guidance covering arrangements for holidays and holiday pay.
October 2010
Recent Case Study: Commercial Landlord and Tenant - An Authorised Guarantee Agreement
Authorised Guarantee Agreements keep the original tenant on the hook in case a third party assignee defaults; they should be drafted with care.
July 2010
Recent Case Study: Doing Battle in the Boardroom
How Pearson Hinchliffe Commercial Law helped members of the Board of Directors achieve the outcome they sought in their boardroom dispute with a senior executive director.
May 2010
How the Mergers & Acquisitions team helped Lanes Group PLC achieve their LAS sell-off
Drainage specialists dispose £12.3 million majority stake in Lanes Assistance Services.
March 2010
PH Employment Direct
The Employment team at Pearson Hinchliffe Commercial Law have created PH Employment Direct - a user-friendly and simple service that gives you access to the best advice at the end of a phone 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
February 2010
Oldham Construction Sector
On 3 February 2010 Corporate Commercial partner Roger Hinchliffe delivered a presentation entitled, ‘Joint Ventures’ to the Oldham Construction Sector group.
January 2010
Debt Recovery Service
With our specialist commercial Debt Recovery service you can significantly increase the speed and likelihood of recovering the money owed to your business.