The qualifying period for an employee to bring an unfair dismissal claim will be increased from one year to two years on 6 April 2012.

The Agency Workers Regulations (AWR), in force on 1 October 2011, granted agency workers the same rights as permanent employees. After a 12-week qualifying period, agency workers are entitled to the same terms and conditions that they would have been entitled to were they recruited directly by the hirer. For agency workers who were working on 1st October, the 12 week qualifying period has already ended.

The rights included those relating to pay, duration of working time, night work, rest periods, rest breaks and annual leave. Both the hirer and the agency can be subject to tribunal claims for breaches of the Regulations. Both businesses and agencies will be compelled to revisit old contracts in light of a stream of new obligations, from maternity rights to office facilities, holidays and bonuses, all of which must be merged with existing payrolls. Failure to check old contracts could put agencies and businesses at risk. Please contact our Employment team on 01782 200000 for further information or advice.

 

According to new statistics the number of divorces in England and Wales has risen for the first time since 2003. Julia Brown at QS Bowcock & Pursaill believes that this could be due to the current economic climate.

Couples are facing increasing financial pressures, which can add considerable strain to people’s home lives. When separating parties now often find themselves in a situation where they have debts and/or negative/low equity in their properties. These cases can often be more difficult to resolve then cases with more assets and it is therefore imperative that expert legal advice is taken.

If you would like to speak to Julia Brown about divorce or any legal issues surrounding breakdwon of marraige and other relationships, please contact her on 01538 399199 or send an email to jb@bowcockpursaill.co.uk.