Court of Appeal Rules to Keep Employment Tribunal Fees
The Court of Appeal has dismissed a third bid by Unison to overturn the introduction of Employment Tribunal fees. The Court dismissed the union’s case for a judicial review of the fees on the grounds of insufficient evidence. Employment Tribunal fees have been the subject of controversy since their introduction in July 2013. The sharp decline in […]
Sanctions in Place for the National Living Wage
The Government has outlined how it plans to enforce the National Living Wage when it comes into force next April. There will be strict sanctions in place for employers that do not comply with the new National Living Wage limits. Working with an increased enforcement budget, HMRC has announced plans to double the existing penalties […]
Care Worker Claims Unpaid Wages for Travel Time
A former care worker is claiming for unlawful deduction of wages due to unpaid travel costs. Caroline Barlow worked for MiHomecare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, for four months. She claims that during this time the company frequently paid her less than the National Minimum Wage as she did not receive any payment […]
Degrees Won’t Be Enough, Recruiters Tell Graduates
The job market is once again full of fresh graduates vying for their first career roles; however new research has shown that some recruiters do not value a degree as much as they used to. Research by a HR news agency has revealed that 84.1% of recruitment professionals believe that a degree has become less essential to securing a […]
Unions Facing Biggest Overhaul in a Generation
The Government has proposed a Trade Union Bill that promises to be the biggest shake up to affect the Unions since the Thatcher era. The proposals, which range from the reasonable to the political, were announced this week by business secretary Sajid Javid. He said that industrial laws were being overhauled in order to protect “the […]
The Living Wage Budget
This week Chancellor George Osborne unveiled the first completely Conservative budget since 1996, which he used to propose drastic rises to the minimum wage. The new national living wage budget initiative, originally proposed by the Labour Party in the run up to the election, will see the minimum wage increase to £7.20 in April 2016 for over-25s. […]
Reduced National Insurance Contributions for Employees Under 21
This April sees the abolition of employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) for employees under the age of 21. Chancellor George Osborne announced the changes as part of a Government initiative to reduce unemployment levels amongst young people. The scheme looks set to reduce employee contributions for as many as 340,000 employers across the country, and […]
Employee Retention Under Threat
Employee retention is becoming an increasing issue for UK businesses as new research reveals that 51% of employees have been approached to work for a rival company. The survey, carried out by recruitment agency Adecco, found that of employees approached over a quarter (27%) went on to accept the offer. Of real concern to UK employers is […]
Voluntary Benefit Schemes
A new report published by Benefits Research 2014 suggests that benefit schemes such as gym memberships and discounts on leisure activities are the most popular options an employer can offer. As more and more employers practice employee wellbeing initiatives and other forms of employee engagement, offering subsidised or discounted gym memberships is one way to offer […]
Service Contracts – The End of TUPE?
It has often been said that the provisions set out in the TUPE Regulations (Transfer of Undertakings [Protection of Employment] Regulations) are some of the most complex out there. Over the last year the Government has been consulting on the introduction of amendments to the Regulations with a view to simplification. The problem is that […]
Proposed TUPE Changes
In response to consultation on the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) the changes that are due in January 2014 are to make sure both employers and employees are treated fairly when a transfer takes place. The driving force behind the planned change is to help smaller firms that have been put […]
EEA nationals’ right to remain in the UK
There have been two significant court cases this year that have looked to clarify what rights EEA nationals have to stay in the UK whilst job hunting. The UK government has amended the Europe Economic Arena (EEA) regulations a number of times over recent years. On the face of it, this makes it more difficult […]
Tipping Point for Flexible Working in 2017
Next year will see the tipping point for flexible working in the UK, according to new research. Lancaster University’s Work Foundation indicates that over half of UK businesses are likely to adopt flexible working practices by 2017. The paper, ‘Working Anywhere: A Winning Formula for Good Work?’ aimed to estimate when flexible working will become […]
Majority of Employees to Work at Christmas
More than half of UK employees (63%) will be at work at Christmas Eve according to a study by fashion brand Cotton Traders. Over 30% will work on Christmas Day itself. Almost half of those surveyed said that they will do so to earn extra income, with 41% expecting to receive double pay for working at […]
Statutory Maternity and Sick Pay Rates Frozen for 2016
Following on from the Autumn Budget, the Government has announced that there will be no increase to a variety of statutory pay rates in 2016. The affected statutory rates include maternity and paternity pay, shared parental pay, adoption pay and sick pay. A complete list of the Government’s statutory pay rates for 2016 can be […]
Volunteering Initiatives Boost Engagement
We’re approaching the season of goodwill, which means that many businesses will be turning their attention to volunteering initiatives for their staff. Pre-empting this, the CIPD and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) have launched a joint study into employer-supported volunteering (ESV). The aim of the study is to identify how ESV schemes can […]
Former Chelsea Doctor Claims for Constructive Dismissal
Former Chelsea first team doctor Eva Carneiro has lodged a claim of constructive dismissal against her former employer. Chelsea’s Premiere League defence started with a 2-2 draw against Swansea on the 8th August. Towards the closing stages of the game and with the scores already level Eden Hazard received an injury. After being motioned on to […]
Government Announces Shared Parental Leave for Grandparents
Grandparents will be able to take shared parental leave and pay under plans laid out by Chancellor George Osborn. The chancellor announced the plan at the Conservative party conference last weekend. Consultations on the details of the policy will take place next year, with the policy set for 2018. The coalition government introduced Shared Parental […]
Legal Update: Travel Time Now Counts as Working Time
Travel time for employees without a fixed place of work now counts as working time following a ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The time that an employee spends travelling from their home to their place of work when they have no fixed place of employment now legally counts as working time. The […]
The Mid-Afternoon Slump Explained
The typical mid-afternoon slump has been explained… And the cause isn’t what you might think. Research by the NHS has identified that 2.16 PM is the least productive time of the working day. However rather than being due to the post-lunch ‘food coma’, the mid-afternoon slump is actually caused by rising CO2 levels in the […]
