New regulations covering unfair dismissal came into effect on October 25. Introduced as part of the Employment Relations Act 1999, they reduced the qualifying period of employment before claims for unfair dismissal can be made to 12 months. The upper limit of compensatory awards has been raised from £12,000 to £50,000, except in cases involving health and safety or public interest disclosure (whistleblowing) where no upper limit now applies.
Further details of the changes are available on the Department of Trade and Industry's website (www.dti.gov.uk).
The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Commencement No 2 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order 1999, SI 1999 No 2830, The Stationery Office, London.