Can an employer dismiss an employee for being a member of a political party? This is a question on some employers' minds following the recent publication of a list containing the names, addresses and in some cases, occupations of BNP members. Whils...

Details have just been published of the annual uprating of compensation limits for tribunal claims and other amounts payable under employment legislation. The new amounts will apply where the relevant event occurs on or after 1 February 2009. For un...

The Court of Appeal has ruled that doctors and dentists employed by NHS bodies in England are entitled to legal representation at disciplinary hearings. The appeal court’s ruling suggests that employees of other public sector organisations sho...

Statistics for 2009-10 released by the Tribunals Service this week reveal that claims to employment tribunals have dramatically increased this year. Despite an overall drop in 2008-9, when the number of claims was 151,028, claims have soared to 236,...

The Supreme Court has overturned decisions of the Court of Appeal and High Court that a music assistant at a primary school should have been allowed legal representation at an internal disciplinary hearing. This decision curtails the scope for empl...

Statistics for April 2010 to March 2011 released by HM Courts and Tribunals Service yesterday reveal that, although the number of claims has fallen since the same period in 2009-10, the 218,100 claims still represent a 44% increase on the 2008-9 fig...

As a follow-up to our previous employer survey on proposals to reform the employment tribunal system, in January 2012 we conducted a second survey seeking views on the introduction of tribunal fees, on the Government’s decision to al...

Last year the Government announced a number of measures aimed at resolving workplace disputes more quickly, reducing the pressure on the employment tribunal system and saving costs for employers and the taxpayer. A number of these changes will take ...

The Government has this afternoon published the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill which will, if passed, introduce some of the tribunal and dispute resolution measures previously announced (see HR ...

HR Consultancy An employee who forwards company files to his lawyer cannot be firedThe dismissal of an employee who forwarded more than 200 files, containing confidential information about the employer’s business, to his lawyer was ruled unlaw...

HR Consultancy Jobs Act now in force – part 1Key changes are as follows:• Fixed term contracts: - no need to specify reasons justifying term of up to 36 months;- extensions admitted up to 8 times in 36 months;- no more breaks required bet...

HR Consultancy Undeclared work (black market)The Ministry of Labour has planned inspections for 2014, deciding to make no less than 230,000 checks aimed at combatting undeclared work and includes 50,000 accesses and a focus on the 11 “metropol...

HR Consultancy Jobs Act: the draft law passed to the SenateAmong the innovations provided by the draft law - which completes the so called Jobs Act and was sent to the Senate on the morning of the 1st April, for following a parallel procedure togeth...

The FCA has issued its long awaited consultation on extension of the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (also known as “Accountability II”). Consultation Paper (CP17/25), which sets out the “what” and the “why&rdq...

The 1993 Working Time Directive lays down, amongst other things, basic principles concerning maximum weekly working hours. For some time now, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament have been debating whether the directive should be revise...

The recruitment practices of many employers stand to be significantly affected by the introduction, from October 12 this year, of the new vetting and barring scheme for those working with children or vulnerable adults. The scheme will apply in Engla...

Today, the Government’s proposals regarding apprenticeships and training have received Royal Assent in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009. One of the Act’s provisions in particular is of relevance to all employer...

At a meeting this week the European Council agreed to extend the existing right for parents to take leave from work from three to four months per parent, per child. The European Council's decision comes as no surprise as t...

Today, the EAT has handed down its decision in the case of Lyons v Mitie Security Limited, which involved a claim for holiday pay from an employee whose request to take annual leave did not comply with notice requireme...

A new ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) suggests fathers who take advantage of new rights to extended paternity leave from April next year could be entitled to the same rights and benefits from their employer as women who...

After many months of speculation and delay, the Ministry of Justice published Government Guidance in respect of the Bribery Act 2010 last week, paving the way for the Act coming in to force on 1 July. Although, as the name suggests, the Act is aime...

Today, a consultation has been launched on government plans to: Full Article