LONG-SERVING employees will soon be entitled to much larger payouts for unfair dismissals, as the compensation period is set to increase from five years to 15 years or more at the end of this week.
The changes form part of new laws to strengthen employee protections and increase compensation for those whose employment rights have been breached, which will come into effect on Friday 25 July.
Politicians approved the legislative changes in April following recommendations made by the Jersey Employment Forum which aimed to ensure fairer protection for employees.
Key changes include:
- Doubling the maximum award for breach of an employee’s statutory rights from four to eight weeks’ pay
- Increasing the compensation period for unfair dismissal from five years to 15 years or more
- Raising the maximum award for financial loss and hurt or distress in discrimination cases from £10,000 to £30,000
- Introducing a new requirement for employers to provide written reasons when dismissing an employee
Social Security Minister Lyndsay Feltham said: “These changes are an important step in providing more appropriate levels of compensation for employees who have their employment rights breached.
“They are also designed to encourage employers to ensure they comply with the law.
“The vast majority of employers are good employers and have nothing to fear from these changes, but it’s important we send a clear message that the worst forms of poor treatment of employees will now carry an increased financial risk.”
