lastlid
14th September 2012, 20:33
"Business Secretary Vince Cable has proposed a cut in how much workers can claim for unfair dismissal at employment tribunals.
He will consult on plans to cut the limit on compensation payouts to a maximum of 12 months' salary.
He also wants to bring in settlement agreements, in which staff agree to leave without being able to go to a tribunal, but get a pay-off in return.
Proposals to make it easier simply to fire workers will not be made law.
The suggested changes come on top of others made in April, which limited unfair dismissal claims to workers who had been in a job for two years, rather than one as before."
"'Reduced burden'
Mr Cable said: "Our starting point is that Britain already has very flexible labour markets.
"But we acknowledge that more can be done to help small companies by reducing the burden of employment tribunals, which we are reforming, and moving to less confrontational dispute resolutions through settlement agreements."
Sarah Veale from the TUC told the BBC that the proposals were still wrong.
"The clue is in the term 'unfair dismissal'," she said.
"If people have been unfairly dismissed, this means the employer has done something wrong and it's right that the tribunal should then decide what sort of compensation the person deserves," she said.
But John Walker, of the Federation of Small Businesses, welcomed the altered proposals.
"Too many small firms don't take on staff because they fear being taken to an employment tribunal," he said.
"Other firms fear facing an expensive and lengthy dismissal process," he added."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19594879
He will consult on plans to cut the limit on compensation payouts to a maximum of 12 months' salary.
He also wants to bring in settlement agreements, in which staff agree to leave without being able to go to a tribunal, but get a pay-off in return.
Proposals to make it easier simply to fire workers will not be made law.
The suggested changes come on top of others made in April, which limited unfair dismissal claims to workers who had been in a job for two years, rather than one as before."
"'Reduced burden'
Mr Cable said: "Our starting point is that Britain already has very flexible labour markets.
"But we acknowledge that more can be done to help small companies by reducing the burden of employment tribunals, which we are reforming, and moving to less confrontational dispute resolutions through settlement agreements."
Sarah Veale from the TUC told the BBC that the proposals were still wrong.
"The clue is in the term 'unfair dismissal'," she said.
"If people have been unfairly dismissed, this means the employer has done something wrong and it's right that the tribunal should then decide what sort of compensation the person deserves," she said.
But John Walker, of the Federation of Small Businesses, welcomed the altered proposals.
"Too many small firms don't take on staff because they fear being taken to an employment tribunal," he said.
"Other firms fear facing an expensive and lengthy dismissal process," he added."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19594879