With the focus on Coronavirus and Corvid19 it is easy to miss the April 2020 changes to employment law. The following changes to employment law are now in effect

National Minimum Wage
The National Living Wage for workers aged 25 and over is now £8.72.

Lower rates apply to those under 25 and Apprentices

• 21 to 24-year-olds – £8.20
• 18 to 20-year-olds – £6.45
• Under 18s – £4.55
• For Apprentices – £4.15

Statutory sick pay
Statutory sick pay is now £95.85 per week.

Family related leave pay
statutory maternity pay, adoption pay, paternity pay and shared parental and parental bereavement pay is now £151.20 per week.

Bereavement leave and pay
Employees are now entitled to time off following the death of a child under 18. In addition statutory parental bereavement pay has been introduced, see above

Termination payments and National Insurance
The element of termination payment above £30,000 is now subject to both Income Tax and employers National Insurance.

The Good Work Plan

• The Employment Rights Act has been updated and now gives workers, (previously only employees) the right to a written statement of particulars and to bring a tribunal claim against their employer.
• The Working Time Regulations have been updated to increase the period for determining an average week’s pay from 12 weeks to 52 weeks.
• The Agency Worker Regulations 2010 have been updated – all agency workers now have right to pay parity with comparable permanent staff after 12 weeks

Image:The Law by smlp.co.uk used under CC BY 2.0