Contracts of Employment Act, 1963
Page 54
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With reference to the September 10 article in Les Oldridge's really excellent "Know the law" series, readers will no doubt like to know that the Industrial Relations Act has introduced some fairly important changes to the 1963 Act. Inter alia they extend the period of notice, from employer to employee, as follows:— Over five years and under 10 . . four weeks Over 10 years and under 15 . . . six weeks Over 15 years eight weeks In accordance with the usual standards of fairness met with in our statutes, the period of notice from employee to employer stays at one week! And notice is now required after 13 weeks instead of 26.
There are other obligations on the part of the employer, who must indicate the employee's rights under the new Act. the name of the person to whom the employee may turn for help in righting a grievance, and explain the steps which may be taken in that respect. (Readers will remember that the Act comes into force in bits. by Order of the Secretary of State).
With regard to the penal clause (£20 penalty for non-compliance) this no longer applies. as under the Redundancy Payments Act this provision was replaced by one whereby the aggrieved employee can ask a Tribunal to draw up its own version of a contract. In other words remedies and relief are by civil action only.
W. F. SHEPHERD, Tunbridge Wells, Kent