Labour plans to remove the need for qualifying service to bring an unfair dismissal claim, but what does this mean for employers, asks Stacie Cheadle, Croner-i technical writer
The Labour government has ambitious plans for employment law. From strengthening existing rights to giving employees and workers new entitlements, its Plan to Make Work Pay will have a significant impact on employers in all sectors.
Unfair dismissal claims were first introduced by the Industrial Relations Act 1971; now found in the Employment Rights Act 1996, two years’ qualifying service is required to bring such a claim.
In the run-up to the general election, Labour pledged to remove this service requirement so that employees would be protected from unfair dismissal from day one of employment. This forms part of its Make Work Pay programme to ‘modernise the world of work’.
In developing this plan, the government has sought to involve businesses, their representatives (such as the British Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses) and trade unions through a series of meetings where information is shared. This will continue as new laws under the plan are put before and progress through parliament.
