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Get in touch 0117 325 0526
It’s April and we keep you up to speed with a reminder of what’s happening this month.
5 April
Shared Parental Leave
The new right to shared parental leave applies to eligible parents of babies due on or after 5 April 2015 (and in relation to adoptive parents of children placed for adoption on or after that date). See our October 2014 Newsletter Government reforms (1): Family friend(lier) – shared parental leave and pay for further details.
Statutory Adoption Leave and Pay changes
Changes relating to adoptive parents of children placed for adoption on or after 5 April 2015 include the removal of the 26-week qualifying period and increase of statutory adoption pay to bring it into line with statutory maternity pay. The Act also allows prospective adoptive parents to take time off “for the purpose of having contact with the child or for any other purpose connected with the adoption”.
Statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay increase
Maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental pay will be £139.58 per week from 5 April 2015.
Parental leave extension
The existing parental leave regime will be extended to parents of children aged between five and 18.
All parents of children aged 0 to 18 who have been continuously employed for one year and have, or expect to have, responsibility for a child will be entitled to take such leave. The leave is unpaid and up to a maximum of 18 weeks in total, limited to four weeks per year, per child.
6 April
Statutory sick pay increases
The standard rate of statutory sick pay will increase from £87.55 per week to £88.45.
Statutory payments and awards increases
The limits to Tribunal compensation will increase where the dismissal (or detriment, or whatever it is that is being complained about) takes place on or after 6th April 2015. The figures reflect an Retail Prices Index (RPI) increase of 2.3% in the year to September 2014.
Unfair dismissal compensatory award
Week’s pay (used to calculate redundancy payments and other awards)
Basic award for certain unfair dismissals (trade union membership or activities, health and safety duties, pension scheme trustee duties or acting as an employee representative)
The weekly pay rate is the maximum amount of a week’s pay for working out redundancy pay which mean that the maximum amount of statutory redundancy pay that an employee made redundant on or after 6 April 2015 will be able to receive will be £14,250.
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