Employment Law: Important changes to Pay and Leave
Changes to pay slips
Last month, changes to the Employment Rights Act 1996 impacted on payslips and the information included.
From 6th April 2019:
Those classed as a ‘worker’ in their employment status have a right to receive an itemised pay slip containing:
- Gross salary/wages
- The amount and purpose of any fixed or variable deductions
- Net salary/wages
- The method and amount of any individual payments that are paid in different ways
- Number of hours worked where this varies and therefore, the amount paid varies
Introduction of flexible working for the armed force
The terms of service for armed forces personnel, except in the case of commissioned officers, will be amended from April with the introduction of two types of ‘flexible service’:
- Part-time working - personnel can agree days they are not required to be available for active service.
- "Service on a restricted separation basis", allows for restrictions on the number of days personnel can be asked to carry out duties away from a specified place.
Changes to National Minimum Wage
From 1st April 2019 the following increase was made to the National Minimum Wage:
| Category | Increased to: | Previous rate: |
| Standard (adult) | £8.21 | £7.83 |
| Workers aged 21-24 | £7.70 | £7.38 |
| Workers aged 18-20 | £6.15 | £5.90 |
| Workers under 18 | £4.35 | £4.20 |
| Apprentices | £3.90 | £3.70 |
Changes to Statutory Sick Pay and Maternity Pay
From 6th April 2019 the following increases was made:
| Category | Increased to: | Previous rate: |
| Statutory Sick Pay | £94.25 | £92.05 |
| Lower Earnings Limit | £118.00 | £116.00 |
| Statutory Maternity Pay | £146.68 | £145.18 |
Looking Ahead:
Regulation 10 of the Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations 1999
Women to be given priority in redundancy situations
The current Regulation 10 provides special protection for women on maternity leave, with employers being obliged to offer a suitable alternative vacancy where this is available, providing priority over colleagues not on maternity leave.
Following the Taylor Review, a Government Consultation Paper proposes to extend this right throughout pregnancy and for a period of time after returning to work from maternity leave. The consultation asks if this should also apply to types of family leave.
The special protection would begin at the point at which the employee gives written notice to her employer that she is pregnant, right through to six months after her return to work.
The consultation addresses the complexities of extending this to other types of leave, given the variety of types that exist and the right of parents to share some types of leave. Questions are also posed about the possible unfair treatment in terms of return to work, for other groups who have taken leave in the same way as new mothers.
Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay
In 2020 The Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Act 2018 will come into force, giving employed parents the right to 2 weeks’ leave when losing a child under the age of 18, or following a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. Parents meeting eligibility criteria set out within the Act will be able to claim pay for this period of 2 weeks.
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