Breaking news – unfair dismissal qualifying period to rise

Monday, 03 October 2011 00:00

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced today that the government will increase the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims from 1 year to 2 years with effect from 6 April 2012.

The provisions relation to discrimination claims, however, remain unchanged. The right to claim discrimination arises from day one of employment.

Mr Osborne has also confirmed that Claimants wishing to bring a tribunal claim will first have to pay a fee, unless they are exempted because of their finances. Detail about the level of fees remains sketchy but it appears that a fee of around £250 will be payable to commence a claim and a further fee of £1,000 payable if the matter proceeds to a final hearing.

The government believes these changes will lower the number of tribunal claims made and provide employers with greater flexibility. The full press release can be found here.

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