Naming and shaming employers
The government has made it clear that it is committed to deterring employers who do not pay at least the National Minimum Wage (NMW). At the beginning of 2011 a scheme came into place whereby those...
View ArticleGovernment hopes hiring employees will be boosted by making it easier to fire...
In a flurry of announcements on 14 September 2012 Vince Cable produced a string of new initiatives which he claims will make it easier to hire staff while protecting basic labour rights. However, the...
View ArticleAutomatic Pension Enrolment
The Government likes to timetable significant changes in employment law for October. The 1 October 2012 saw a significant change – the introduction of auto-enrolment for pensions. The scheme requires...
View ArticleNew harmonised rules for pilots not met with harmonious reaction
On 1 October 2012 the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published proposals (known as an Opinion at this stage) to amend the current EU wide rules on flight and duty time limitations and rest...
View ArticleWill employees get a fair share by forfeiting rights?
Party conference season has traditionally been a time for new government initiatives. However, with a coalition government we get double the fun. One of the eye-catching announcements made by George...
View ArticleDoes an employee have to sign a new contract when promoted?
It is very common for an employee to be asked to sign a new contract once they have been promoted. The new contract will usually give the employee increased benefits such as private medical insurance....
View ArticleEmployment tribunal payments to rise
The Government has announced increases to the limits for Employment Tribunal awards and related payments. These will come into effect from 1st February 2013. Redundancy payments When calculating...
View ArticleWhere is the rigour?
This is the season of exams. As has been the custom we also hear complaints that the exams are too easy and lack rigour. Strangely there is still a high failure rate. I am beginning to get fed up of...
View ArticleLast minute announcements
There was a brief period in time when the government would try and introduce new employment legislation at set times in the year. We got used to the rhythm of changes in April and October. There were...
View ArticleWhy were the bins not being collected in Brighton & Hove?
If you want to know the answer then you will need to read all the way to the end of this article. The situation all stems back to the often complex matter of equal pay claims, and in particular, a big...
View ArticleIntroduction of fees into the Employment Tribunals
On the 29th July 2013, fees are due to be introduced into the Employment Tribunals. This has been challenged however, in both Scotland and England. In Scotland a petition for judicial review has been...
View ArticleHow the introduction of fees are meant to work in practice:
How much is payable? From this Monday 29th July 2013, fees will officially be introduced into the employment tribunals. The fee will vary depending on whether it is a type A claim, such as unlawful...
View ArticleWhat the frack
In my formative years there was tremendous excitement about the development of North Sea: the first drop of “black gold” being pumped to land and our conversion to natural gas from the old dirty town...
View ArticleA new deal: shares in exchange for rights
Usually with an act of Parliament the title gives a clue as to what it is about. That being so, there should be great excitement at the introduction of the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013. If the...
View ArticleWith October comes a few changes
As the government was in a hurry to introduce changes to employment law in the summer we have had a lot to get used to; the introduction of fees to make a tribunal claim being the major change. Now we...
View ArticleZero hour contracts – what’s all the fuss about?
“Zero hours”, or “nil hours” or “casual” or “bank” contracts are colloquial terms for an employment contract under which the employee is not guaranteed work and is paid only for the work they actually...
View ArticleChange to ACAS Code of Practice
ACAS (the government’s Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) has announced that it is to amend its Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures. They feel that the change should...
View ArticleWhat can make an ill-health dismissal fair?
Employers are often nervous about dismissing employees because of long term sickness absence. The temptation can be there but the worry is that they may be seen to be kicking the employee while they...
View ArticleImpact of fees for employment tribunal claims
Since 29 July 2013 claimants have had to pay a fee to submit their claim. The cost depends on the type of claim. A type A claim (e.g. for an unlawful deduction of wages) has an initial issue fee of...
View ArticleUnfair dismissal and the range of reasonable responses
When an Employment Tribunal is assessing whether an employer has dismissed someone fairly they must not think what they would have done. Instead they should look at whether the employer’s decision to...
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