Legal Responsibilities
According to a study by the Federation of Small Businesses, British companies are increasingly more confused by the growing complexity of the country's employment legislation.
Since the election of the Labour Government in 1997, there have been many changes in UK employment law, including enhanced maternity and paternity rights, the introduction of a National Minimum Wage and the Working Time Directive which covers working time, rest breaks and the right to paid annual leave. Discrimination law has also been sharpened up.
There is also much upheaval in other areas of the law. Plans to deny many solicitors payment for time spent travelling to police stations or courts have also been shelved. The Law Society has said the reforms would deny vulnerable people legal aid. This comes on top of concerns by human rights group that the Government is using the fight against terrorism to change the law in order to take away citizen’s rights.