Changes to unfair dismissal rules

Changes to unfair dismissal rules which could save nearly £6 million a year for British business have been announced by Business Secretary Vince Cable and Chancellor George Osborne.

The decision will see the qualification period for the right to claim unfair dismissal extended from one to two years. This will come into force on 6th April 2012. This is the latest development in the Government’s workplace reforms which aim to increase business confidence to take on more workers.

Changes to the unfair dismissal rules follow the ‘Resolving Workplace Disputes’ consultation published in January this year which also proposed measures to encourage early resolution of disputes, the speeding up of the tribunal process and measures to tackle weak and vexatious claims.

According to the Government, these combined proposals should see the number of unfair dismissal claims drop by around 2000 a year.