From 6 April 2012 the qualifying period for which someone must be employed before he or she can bring a claim for unfair dismissal will be increased from one year to two years.

It is not thought that this change will affect the provisions allowing certain unfair dismissal claims to be made irrespective of the length of time the individual has been employed – for example where he or she claims they were dismissed for asserting rights, such as the right to be paid National Minimum Wage.