Employment News

AGCC Lunch'n'Learn - Changes to Data Protection law

The General Data Protection Regulations will be implemented in the UK on 25th May 2018, bringing with them considerable changes to Data Protection Law. Read more

Discrimination – Revised Compensation Guidelines

The Employment Tribunals have issued updated guidance on the appropriate levels of compensation which may be awarded in discrimination cases. The Court of Appeal originally set guidelines back in 2002 in the case of Vento v Chief Constable of Yorkshire Police. Read more

Employment Tribunal Fees Illegal – Where to Next?

The Supreme Court has held today, 26th July 2017, that the Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunals Fees Order 2013 (which saw the introduction of fees to the Employment Tribunal and led to a 70% reduction in claims) is unlawful and will be quashed. Read more

The Millennial Cost of Sickness

Traditionally, employers count the cost of sickness by measuring the number of days “lost” as a result of employees being absent from work due to sickness. However, with many employees now capable of working from home, there are varying degrees of “loss”. Read more

The Force of a Jurisdiction Clause

An Advocate General of the European Court of Justice recently considered the issue of where an employee habitually works and the impact of a “choice of jurisdiction” clause in the employee’s contract. Read more

“Sleeping-in” and the National Minimum Wage

Are workers entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) when “on call” or “sleeping-in”?  “It depends” confirmed the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in the combined cases of Focus Care Agency -v- Roberts, Frudd -v- Partington and Mencap -v- Tomlinson-Blake. Read more

Employment Changes from 6th April 2017

Gender Pay Gap Reporting

The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 will come into force, requiring all employers with 250 more employees (as at 5 April 2017) to collate and publish their gender pay gap information. Read more

Statutory / Mimimum Rates of Pay

From 1st April 2017, the following “national minimum” rates of pay will be increased as shown:

 

Old Rate

New Rate

Apprentice

£3. 40

£3. 50

Age 16-17

£4. 00

£4. 05

Age 18-20

£5. 55

£5. 60

Age 21-24

£6. 95

£7. 05

Age 25+

£7. 20

£7. Read more

When Does Notice of Termination Take Effect?

When the employee has personally taken delivery of the notice confirmed the Court of Appeal (CoA) in the case of Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust –v- Haywood, unless the Contract of Employment contains a provision governing when the notice may otherwise take effect. In this case, Ms. Read more

Considering Fairness in Redundancy Selection and a Re-organisation

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) was recently asked to consider whether the “fairness” test applied equally in the case of redundancy dismissals where employees were required to compete for newly-created posts following a restructure as it did when considering a case of downmanning. Read more