Woolworths Collective Redundancy Outcomes
The Government has been given leave to appeal against an Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling that has moved the goalposts for employers planning company-wide redundancies. The tribunal found in the Usdaw v Woolworths case that administrators Deloitte had not followed the correct consultation procedures when closing the UK’s 800-plus Woolworths stores in late 2008/early 2009. In […]
Commission Must Be Included in Holiday Pay
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has confirmed that an employee’s average commission must be included in their holiday pay. The judgement, published Monday (22nd February), set out how the European Court of Justice (ECJ)’s ruling will apply in the UK. This is another step in the long-running case of Lock v British Gas, which was […]
Urban Outfitters Opens Unpaid Overtime Debate
Retailer Urban Outfitters has caused a stir in the US by asking for employees to work unpaid overtime during the weekend. An internal email obtained by a US gossip website told employees that it was looking for volunteers to pick and pack goods for delivery over the weekends this October. The email sells the role as a […]
Caste Discrimination Covered Under Equality Act 2010
A former domestic servant has won £184,000 in unpaid wages following the UK’s first claim for caste discrimination. Ms Tirkey worked as a domestic servant for a Mr and Mrs Chandok, first in India and then again in the UK. Ms Tirkey is of Adivasi origin, which some in India consider to be low caste. […]
Tribunal Fees Under Criticism
Legal experts and union leaders have called for a review of the Employment Tribunal process following the release of new Ministry of Justice figures. The number of single Employment Tribunal claims has fallen by 70 percent in the year since July 2013, when fees for raising a Tribunal claim were first introduced. “This is the […]
The Suarez Incident
One of the standout stars of the 2014 World Cup, and the man responsible for the two goals which effectively ended England’s World Cup dream, Louis Suarez was last week banned for 9 football matches for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini. The incident has caused a global storm, creating debate in all areas of […]
Changes to Flexible Working Rules
We recently saw the announcement of new changes to flexible working rules, providing the opportunity for all UK employees to request different working patterns. This could have a dramatic effect on how we design our working lives, as well as affect our work/life balance. Many employers already offer flexible working for all staff as part […]
How to deal with bullying in the workplace
A survey of over 2,000 UK employees found that more than a third (37%) have been victim to bullying in the workplace. While it’s a challenge to find up to date statistics on the state of bullying in the workplace in the UK, there is an interesting survey that was conducted for solicitors Slater and […]
Employment Law Update: October 2015
It’s almost October, which means that the annual employment law update is just around the corner. We’re taking a look at some of the more significant upcoming legislative changes and highlighting how these may have a direct impact upon your business. National Minimum Wage Increase The National Living Wage is due to come into effect next […]
Employment Tribunals – Who Pays?
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has recently published a study on the ‘Payment of Tribunal Awards’ (Making the Labour Market more Flexible, Efficient and Fair). The report summarises the findings of a study of people who made successful claims to an Employment Tribunal and were awarded a sum of money by the […]
Backdated Holiday Pay Claims Facing New Time Limit
Following last month’s landmark Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT), the Government has announced that backdated holiday pay claims will be time limited from July 2015. In November the EAT ruled that overtime, commission and other additional payments now need to be factored into employee holiday pay, which led to the Government setting up a task force to […]
Obesity Can Now Be Considered A Disability
The European Court has ruled that obesity can be categorised as a disability should it impede on a person’s ability to participate in work on an equal basis to their colleagues. Following a landmark decision by the European Court (CJEU) that could affect employment rights across Europe, a person suffering from obesity may now be […]
Eight Facts About Shared Parental Leave
HR Solutions have prepared a brief guide to help you familiarise yourself with the new Shared Parental Leave legislation. On 1st December 2014 new employment laws came into effect allowing parents to split parental leave between them. Shared Parental Leave (SPL) applies to the parents who are responsible for any child due (or placed for […]
