Key Employment Law Changes - April 2011

5th April 2011

Retirement Notice

Employers have until April 5th 2011 to issue a notice of intended retirement to an employee where the employee is already 65 or will be before 30th September 2011. The employer needs to provide between 6 months and 12 months notice of the intended retirement date.

The employee is able to request to work past the intended retirement date which will then invoke a series of meetings under the procedure.

Statutory Benefit

The standard rate of statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay increases from £124.88 to £128.73 from April 3rd 2011.

Additional Paternity Leave

Employees who are fathers, or spouses or partners of mothers, and employees who have been matched for adoption and are spouses or partners of the person taking adoption leave are entitled to take additional paternity leave of up to 26 weeks in the first year of their child's life or the first year after the child's placement for adoption, and may be entitled to additional paternity pay.

Additional paternity leave has effect in relation to children whose expected week of birth is on or after 3 April 2011, or who are matched for adoption with a person who is notified of the match or on after 3 April 2011.

Disclaimer This bulletin is designed to keep readers abreast of current developments. It is not intended to be a comprehensive statement of law and specialist legal advice should always be sought in relation to any particular circumstance. Therefore, Thomas, Carroll Management Services is unable to accept liability for any errors or facts or opinion contained within.