Proposal to increase workplace discrimination compensation in Jersey

Compensation limits for employment-related discrimination claims could be increased if a proposal is approved.

Deputy Minister for Social Security Lyndsay Feltham has proposed changes to the Employment and Discrimination Amendment (Jersey) Act.

It recommends increasing the maximum compensation for discrimination claims from £10,000 to £50,000 and doubling compensation for breaches of staff’s contractual rights from four to eight weeks’ pay.

Feltham said the proposal was based on recommendations from the Jersey Employment Forum, which monitored the island’s employment laws.

Employers would have to provide written reasons for dismissal within seven days of dismissal; Failure to comply could result in a court ordering the employer to provide reasons or pay up to eight weeks’ wages as compensation.

It could also lead to an additional 25% compensation in cases of unfair dismissal.

Feltham has proposed changes to court procedures, including anonymising sentences, introducing a capped costs regime “for vexatious conduct” and extending response times for employers.

For higher compensation claims, the maximum award for financial loss would be increased to £50,000 or 52 weeks’ pay, as well as total compensation for a single case would be limited to the same amounts, and damages and distress awards would increase from £ Between £5,000 and £30,000.

The Minister of Social Security would review the compensation limits every three years.

“These amendments will provide employees with greater protections and ensure a fairer and more transparent process for addressing workplace issues,” Feltham said.

The earliest it can be debated is January 21.