40 . Glasgow Business May/June 2014


It can be a struggle for businesses to keep track of all recent employment legislation, but a wrong move could be explosive


E


mployment law can be a minefield for SMEs. Each year, it seems that a new raſt of legislation is


launched or amended. In recent times, we have witnessed the abolition of the 65-year retirement age, changes to maternity/


paternity provision, auto enrolment in the Government’s new pension scheme, equal treatment for agency workers and the introduction of tribunal fees. Tis year has also been busy


with the introduction of pre- tribunal conciliation obligations,


fines imposed on employers at tribunal hearings where they behave unreasonably and the right for employees to request flexible working arrangements. Tere’s a lot to keep abreast


of and it is an important responsibility as the consequences


of geting it wrong can end up in costly and time-consuming litigation. During 2012/13 the number of


claims accepted by Employment Tribunals in the UK rose 3 per cent to 191,541 – the largest at £387,472 for a disability


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