SALISBURY LAWYERS - PRESS RELEASE 10th August 2009
Salisbury law firm warn of increasing employment law risks to employers
Following the simultaneous publication of 2007/8 and provisional 2008/9 statistics from the Employment Tribunal, employment lawyer Alan Jenner from Salisbury employment law firm Bonallack and Bishop warns that without taking precautions now, the next year could prove very expensive for local employers.
“The latest figures are very worrying. Unfair dismissal compensation claims have increased by 22% from last year and redundancy claims are up by 26%. When employers have to let staff go, if they don’t follow the correct procedure, it can be very costly. Before the recession, employees may have been less likely to make a claim on the basis that they found work quickly. With rising unemployment and fewer job vacancies around, redundant staff may be more likely to make an Employment Tribunal claim to exploit a loophole left by the employer in the redundancy process. We strongly recommend that employers take particular care with employment law issues in the current economic climate and take the following simple steps:
- Check contracts of employment and ensure that a departing employee receives the correct entitlement, including any statutory redundancy pay
- If you are taking on new staff even for temporary or zero hours contracts record the agreement in writing.
- Follow the correct procedure when dismissing staff and if you are unclear what that is, don’t guess – find out what to do before taking the next step as mistakes cannot be rectified afterwards.
If in doubt about any aspect of employment law or procedure – don’t take any chances. Employers would be well advised to check their position with a specialist employment lawyer.”
Alan’s advice echoes that of Keith Mizon, the director of advisory and conciliation service Acas, who states, “As with previous recessions, there has been an increase in unfair dismissal claims, redundancy payments and wages cases. Misunderstanding redundancy selection processes, which can be complex, or poorly communicating them, can leave people feeling unfairly treated.”
For further information and advice, please contact Alan Jenner on 01722 422300 or email Alan Jenner.
