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6 April 2008 – Information and Consultation; Corporate Manslaughter;SMP and SSP |
The Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004 set out a regime whereby UK employers may, and in some cases must, put in place information and consultation agreements governing how they will consult staff on economic and employment-related matters. When they came into force in April 2005, the Regulations applied only to employers with more than 150 employees. Employers with more than 100 employees were brought within the scope of the Regulations from April 2007 and, from 6 April 2008, the Regulations will apply to employers with at least 50 employees.
Similarly, from 6 April 2008, employers with more than 50 employees will be required to consult before changing either occupational or personal pension schemes.
The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 comes into force on 6 April 2008, creating a new offence of corporate manslaughter that replaces the existing common law offence of manslaughter by gross negligence that can be committed by companies and other organisations. The new offence is committed if the way in which an organisation (including companies, partnerships, trade unions and employers associations) manages or organises its activities causes a person’s death and amounts to a gross breach of a relevant duty of care owed to that person.
Finally, HMRC has also published the following changes to the rates of statutory benefits that are intended to apply from 6 April 2008 (although these are still subject to Parliamentary Approval):
- Standard rate of statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay - £117.18 per week (currently £112.75 per week);
- Standard rate of statutory sick pay - £75.40 per week (currently £72.25 per week).
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