Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.-(1) This Order may be cited as the Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2012 and shall come into operation on 4th March 2012.

(2) In this Order -

(a)"the 1995 Order" means the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1995(4);

(b)"the 1996 Order" means the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996(5).

Revocation

2. The Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2011(6) is revoked.

Increase of limits

3. In the provisions set out in column 1 of the Schedule (generally described in column 2), for the sums specified in column 3 substitute the sums specified in column 4.

Transitional provisions

4.-(1) The revocation in Article 2 and the substitutions made by Article 3 do not have effect in relation to a case where the appropriate date falls before 4th March 2012.

(2) In this Article "the appropriate date" means -

(a)in the case of an application made under Article 34(1)(7) of the 1995 Order (compensation for unjustifiable discipline by a trade union), the date of the determination infringing the applicant's right;

(b)in the case of an application for an award of compensation under Article 40(2) of the 1995 Order (compensation for expulsion from a trade union), the date of the expulsion from the union;

(c)in the case of a complaint presented under Article 44C(1) of the 1995 Order(8) (failure by an employer to consult with a trade union on training matters), the date of the alleged failure;

(d)in the case of an award under paragraph 159(1) of Schedule 1A to the 1995 Order(9), where a worker has suffered a detriment that is the termination of the worker's contract, the date of the termination;

(e)in the case of a complaint presented under Article 28(1)(a) of the 1996 Order (refusal of employment on grounds related to union membership) or Article 28(1)(b) of that Order (refusal of service of employment agency on grounds related to union membership), the date of the conduct to which the complaint relates, as determined by Article 28(2) to (4) of that Order;

(f)in the case of a guarantee payment to which an employee is entitled under Article 60(1) of the 1996 Order (right to guarantee payment in respect of workless day), the day in respect of which the payment is due;

(g)in the case of an award of compensation under Article 72(1)(b) of the 1996 Order by virtue of section 24(2) of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998(10), where a worker has suffered a detriment that is the termination of the worker's contract, the date of the termination;

(h)in the case of an award under section 77E(2)(b) of the 1996 Order(11) (award to worker in respect of offer made by employer in contravention of section 77A or 77B of that Order(12)), the date of the offer;

(i)in the case of an award under Article 112I(1)(b) of the 1996 Order(13) (award of compensation relating to an application for contract variation), the date of the failure in relation to the application or of the decision to reject the application;

(j)in the case of an award under Article 146(4) or (5) of the 1996 Order(14) (award in relation to unfair dismissal) the effective date of termination as defined by Article 129 of that Order(15);

(k)in the case of an award under Article 151(1) or (3) of the 1996 Order(16), where an employer has failed to comply fully with the terms of an order for reinstatement or re-engagement or has failed to reinstate or re-engage the complainant in accordance with such an order, the date by which the order for reinstatement (specified under Article 148(2)(c) of that Order) or, as the case may be, re-engagement (specified under Article 149(2)(f) of that Order) should have been complied with;

(l)in the case of entitlement to a redundancy payment by virtue of Article 170(1)(a) of the 1996 Order (dismissal by reason of redundancy), the relevant date as defined by Article 180 of that Order(17);

(m)in the case of entitlement to a redundancy payment by virtue of Article 170(1)(b) of the 1996 Order (eligibility for a redundancy payment by reason of being laid off or kept on short-time), the relevant date as defined by Article 188 of that Order;

(n)in the case of entitlement to a payment under Article 227 of the 1996 Order (payments by the Department), the appropriate date as defined by Article 230 of that Order;

(o)in the case of a complaint presented under Article 13(1) of the Employment Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1999(18) (failure or threatened failure to allow the worker to be accompanied at the disciplinary or grievance hearing, to allow the companion to address the hearing or confer with the worker, or to postpone the hearing), the date of the failure or threat;

(p)in the case of a complaint presented under regulation 15 of the Flexible Working (Procedural Requirements) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003(19) (failure or threatened failure to allow an employee to be accompanied at a meeting, to allow the companion to address the meeting or confer with the employee, or to postpone the meeting), the date of the failure or threat;

(q)in the case of an award made under Article 27(2) of the Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 2003(20) (failure to give statement of employment particulars etc), the date the proceedings to which that Article applies were begun;

(r)in the case of an increase in an award in pursuance of Article 27(3) of the Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, the date the proceedings to which that Article applies were begun;

(s)in the case of an award made under Article 28(2) of the Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 (failure to give statement of employment particulars etc), the date the proceedings to which that Article applies were begun;

(t)in the case of an increase in an award in pursuance of Article 28(3) of the Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, the date the proceedings to which that Article applies were begun;

(u)in the case of a complaint presented under paragraph 11(1) of Schedule 5 to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006(21) (failure of employer to comply with duty to notify employee of date on which he intends employee to retire or of right to make request not to retire on the intended date), the date of the failure; and

(v)in the case of a complaint presented under paragraph 12(1) of Schedule 5 to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 (failure or threatened failure to allow an employee to be accompanied at a meeting, to allow the companion to address the meeting or confer with the employee, or to postpone the meeting), the date of the failure or threat.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Employment and Learning on 29th February 2012.

Dr Stephen Farry

Minister for Employment and Learning

Article 3

SCHEDULETABLE OF INCREASE OF LIMITS

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order increases, from 4th March 2012, the limits applying to certain awards of industrial tribunals, and other amounts payable under employment legislation, as specified in the Schedule to the Order.

Under Article 33 of the Employment Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 ("the 1999 Order"), if the retail prices index (RPI) for September of a year is higher (or lower) than the index for the previous September, the Department is required to change the limits, by Order, by the amounts of the increase or decrease (rounded up as specified in Article 33(3) of the 1999 Order). The increases made by this Order reflect the increase in the index of 5.6% from September 2010 to September 2011.

The increases apply where the event giving rise to the entitlement to compensation or other payments occurs on or after 4th March 2012. Limits previously in operation under the Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2011 (S.R. 2011 No. 30) are preserved by Article 4 of the Order in relation to cases where the relevant event was before that date.

An impact assessment is not required because the 1999 Order provides for indexation according to a pre-determined formula (i.e. RPI).