Employment Law Update – March 2024

New legislation on the horizon, plus details of our FREE webinar – save the date!

As we enter the spring season, it is the usual time of year that sees new legislative changes enacted and brought into force. Whilst there has been minimal activity in employment legislation in recent years, this year marks a significant shift with several important changes on the horizon which businesses need to be aware of. While we have previously discussed many of these anticipated changes in our articles, we have prepared a summary below for your convenience, along with relevant links to further information.

In addition, we will be delivering a free Employment Law Update Webinar on Wednesday 24th April at 12 noon. To reserve your place, contact Employment Paralegal, Sarah Taylor at staylor@kbl.co.uk or on 01204 527777. 

We encourage all businesses to stay informed and proactive in adapting to these changes to ensure compliance and to mitigate any potential risks. You can stay updated on all things employment law by signing up to receive our free employment law bulletins here.

As always, our employment team are on hand to provide guidance and support in navigating these developments effectively.

31 March 2024. Repeal of Covid-19 annual leave ‘carry over’ regulations. The right to carry over up to 4 weeks’ leave where the employee has been unable to take it due to the effects of Coronavirus, will be removed. Any leave accrued before 1 January 2024 can, however, be used up until 31 March 2024.

1 April 2024. Increases to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage, statutory sick pay, maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental payments and parental bereavement payments.

1 April 2024. Changes to holiday rules.

6 April 2024. The Flexible Working (Amendments) Regulations come into force.

6 April 2024. Statutory Carer’s Leave will commence. This Act will grant a new entitlement of one week of unpaid leave annually for employee’s who care for dependants with long-term needs. This right will be a ‘day one’ right.

6 April 2024. Changes to Paternity Leave.

6 April 2024. Introduction of protection from redundancy for those on Pregnancy, Maternity Leave, Adoption Leave and Shared Parental Leave. The Maternity Leave, Adoption Leave and Shared Parental Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2024, will extend the special protection period from redundancy for employees who are on maternity leave, adoption leave and those on shared parental leave.

  • Pregnancy – protected from the date the employee informs the employer of her pregnancy for the full period of pregnancy.
  • Maternity Leave – protected for 18 months from the first day of the estimated week of childbirth (EWC). The 18-month period can be altered to start from the child’s actual date of birth where the employee informs the employer in writing of the actual date during their maternity leave period.
  • Adoption Leave – protected for 18 months from the date of placement for adoption.
  • Shared Parental Leave – protected for 18 months from birth or placement for adoption provided that the employee has taken a period of at least 6 continuous weeks of shared parental leave. If 6 continuous weeks have not been met, employees will only be protected during their period of absence. This provision will not apply if the employee has protection under either maternity or adoption provisions.

1 July 2024. New rules for TUPE for businesses with 50 or fewer employees or involving 10 or fewer transfers.

September 2024. Expectation of The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 to come into force.

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