MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands upgrades compensation for redundancy/unfair dismissal

MLA Gavin Short, “I am extremely happy to see the approval of these much-needed updates to the Employment Protection Ordinance, particularly regarding the weekly pay cap”.

The Falkland Islands Executive Council (ExCo) agreed on Tuesday 23 April, legislation updates have been approved for the Employment Protection Ordinance, specifically on compensation for redundancy/unfair dismissal.

The last update made to the Ordinance was in 2002 therefore changes are required especially in relation to:

- Increasing the cap on weekly pay from £277.20 to £519.80 in line with inflation and updating other monetary amounts in the Ordinance to be consistent with this change
- Updating the eligibility for men and women to align to 65 years old for the current age of retirement

It has also been approved that compensation levels will be reviewed annually in line with the budget setting process. This will ensure that the levels are kept up to date.

Portfolio holder for Economic Development, MLA Gavin Short said: “I am extremely happy to see the approval of these much-needed updates to the Employment Protection Ordinance, particularly regarding the weekly pay cap. It’s been long overdue, and I’m grateful to the legal practitioner who brought this matter to our attention.

“I also look forward to working on the broader Legislation which this ordinance sits under, which is also out of date and requires work - a task that will span across this Assembly and the next. Ultimately, these changes uphold our commitment to improving standards of living and fostering a fair and equitable working environment for all in our community.”