Employment Law Update (December 2008)
If you only make one New Year's resolution for 2009...
If you only make one New Year's resolution for 2009, put
6th April in your diary.
On this date, the procedures employers must follow when dealing
with discipline and grievances will change. There will be a
change in the law abolishing the statutory dispute resolution
procedures – which prescribed how dismissals and grievances were
dealt with – and replacing them with a new ACAS Code of Practice
which applies to the whole disciplinary and grievance process.
For Mentor clients, the changes will not affect your
disciplinary and grievance policies, but it will be more important
than ever that you take advice from us when considering any
disciplinary action against an employee or dealing with an employee
grievance. This is because:
- The changes apply to all disciplinary proceedings, not just to
dismissals; and
- The current rules – the statutory dispute resolution procedures
– will continue to apply to cases during a transition period – and
what rules apply will depend on when disciplinary action is
considered or when the root cause of a grievance arises.
How Mentor will help
- We will tell all clients about the changes when the final
version has been published by the government;
- Use our Telephone Advice Service in all cases where you are
considering taking disciplinary action or if you receive a
grievance from an employee.