The Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry today warned that despite recent proposed changes to Federal legislation covering unfair dismissal of employees, employers still needed to take steps to minimise the chance of facing such claims.

VECCI General Manager Workplace Relations, David Gregory, said employers could protect themselves from claims by ensuring that they implement appropriate practices at the time of recruiting employees and during their employment.

"One unfair dismissal claim is one too many, yet this can be the outcome, even if correct procedures are followed," says Mr Gregory.

"Defending such claims often involves time-consuming and costly litigation and can have a lasting effect on workplace morale.

To help employers correctly handle dismissals or redundancies, VECCI is conducting a special two-hour briefing on the subject at Kirrewur Court, Newtown, from 5.30 to 7.30pm on Thursday 15 September.

The briefing will cover a range of topics, including the definition of unfair dismissal, identifying who is eligible to make an unfair dismissal claim, employers’ and employee’s responsibilities, and powers of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission in dealing with unfair dismissal cases.

VECCI Principal Workplace Relations Adviser, Giuseppe Amoroso, will present the briefing.