News: Contract Law
Employment law changes in April 'could create need for training'
12 February 2009
New training may be required from April 6th, as new changes to employment law will come into effect and employees will not be required to submit a grievance when bringing a claim, an expert asserts.
Andrew Twineham, a partner at Mincoff Jacksons, tells the People Bulletin the statutory three-step disciplinary and dismissal procedure is to be replaced with a revised Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service Code of Practice.
Employment law training could be required as failure to comply with this could lead to a discretionary increase in compensation, he states.
"With respect to disciplinary procedures, the main changes are that in misconduct cases different people should carry out the investigation and the disciplinary hearing," Mr Twineham tells the news provider.
In addition, the partner asserts the new code will not apply to dismissals due to redundancies or non-renewal of a fixed-term employment contract.
Harriet Harman, minister for women and equality, recently announced that an investigation will take place into sex discrimination in the financial sector.
The inquiry will focus on the wage gap of 40 per cent between men and women and the discrepancy between the number of female employees and their scarcity at higher levels, which could create a need for contract law training.
