Employment News

New Compensation Limits

The limits on certain employment tribunal awards and other amounts payable under employment legislation will increase from 6 April 2014. Read more

Repayment Clauses and Clawbacks

Employers often put repayment clauses in employment contracts, to try to recover the training or other costs they lose when an employee leaves. Read more

Zero hour contracts - A fair deal?

The Office of National Statistics define a “zero hours contract” as “a contract where the employer does not guarantee to provide the worker with work and will only pay the worker for those hours which are actually worked. ”  These arrangements give employers
a high degree of flexibility. Read more

Gross Misconduct and a Fair Dismissal

Will an act of gross misconduct always lead to a “fair” dismissal?  Not necessarily said the EAT in Brito-Babapulle –v- Ealing Hospital NHS Trust. Ms Brito-Babapulle was a consultant with the Ealing Hospital NHS Trust.   In addition, she also conducted sessions with private patients. Read more

Gross Misconduct and a Fair Dismissal

Will an act of gross misconduct always lead to a “fair” dismissal?  Not necessarily said the EAT in Brito-Babapulle –v- Ealing Hospital NHS Trust. Ms Brito-Babapulle was a consultant with the Ealing Hospital NHS Trust.   In addition, she also conducted sessions with private patients. Read more

Employee Shareholders

September 1st 2013 marked the birth of “employee shareholders”, a new category of employee which allows employers to offer employees a share of their business in return for the employee waiving a number of employment rights. Read more

Auto Enrolment: How many are opting-out?

With the pensions auto-enrolment regime now nearly one year old, the government has published data relating to the number of employees exercising their right to opt-out after they have been auto-enrolled.   The government sampled 50 employers ranging in size from 6,000 to 120,000. Read more

Plans to Increase Civil Penalty for Illegal Working

Since 2008 all UK employers have been required to carry out checks on their workers to ensure that they have the right to work in the UK.   If they fail to do so, a civil penalty of up to £10,000 per illegal worker can be imposed. Read more

Foreign Employers and National Insurance Contributions

Currently, employers based outside the UK do not have to make secondary national insurance contributions (NICs) in respect of any of their UK workers.   The Government intends to introduce legislation to reverse this position. Read more

Employment Tribunal Fees apply from 29th July 2013

The Employment Tribunal system was intended to be an accessible, user-friendly forum for the resolution of disputes between  employers and employees. However, from 29th July 2013, access to this forum will no longer be free. Read more