Human Resources’ departments are often asked to provide advice and guidance on disciplinary matters, however, a recent case from the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has warned of the risk of overstepping the mark and applying ‘improper’ influence. ...
The Scottish government has announced this week plans to scrap employment tribunal fees north of the border, using new powers included in the Scotland Bill....
As of last month, UK passport holders wishing to visit India can apply online for an “e-Tourist visa”. Applications can be made online through the Government of India’s website, which enables applicants to upload documents, pay the fee of $60 (£39) and track their application. Once an application is submitted, visa entry documents should arrive by email within 4 days....
The UK’s data protection authority - the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) - has issued Google with an enforcement notice requiring it to remove links to certain news stories....
Under the Employment Tribunals Extension of Jurisdiction Order 1994 (“the Order”) an employment tribunal may hear a breach of contract claim from an employee if it is one that ‘a court in England and Wales would under the law for the time being in force have jurisdiction to hear and determine’ and it arises or is outstanding on termination of the employee’s employment. ...
The Rugby World Cup 2015 is being hosted by England and takes place between 18th September and 31stOctober 2015....
In the recent case of Stevens v University of Birmingham, the High Court has held that the University of Birmingham breached the implied term of trust and confidence by not allowing one of its Professors to be accompanied to a disciplinary investigation meeting by a companion of his choice (Stevens v University of Birmingham [2015] EWHC 2300)....
Under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) an individual can make a request to an organisation to find out what personal data it holds on them (often referred to as a subject access request)....
The Government is committed to ensuring that every person realises their full potential and considers that gender equality will help achieve this. The consultation came as a surprise as it was not expected that a Conservative government would pursue gender equality as a priority. However, on reading the consultation and the background research undertaken by the Women’s Business Council, it becomes clear that the economic benefits of increasing the engagement of women at work are the driving force of the Government’s strategy in this area....
Employees should by now be aware of the dangers of venting their frustrations with employers on Facebook. Recent cases have demonstrated that derogatory comments can lead to fair dismissals even where the comments were made years ago or where a deliberate search was undertaken by the employer to find further comments....
The government has opened a consultation on whether it should devolve Sunday trading rules to local areas, such as cities run by elected mayors and/or local authorities. This would give them greater control of their local economy and could mean significant disparities in Sunday trading rules affecting employees across different parts of the country....
Following consultation, the government has decided not to limit the new reporting requirements of the Modern Slavery Act affecting supply chains just to very big companies. Speaking on his tour of south east Asia, prime minister David Cameron has now confirmed: “From October we will also require all businesses with a £36 million turnover or above to disclose what they are doing to ensure their business and supply chains are slavery free. He went on to say...
The EAT has upheld a tribunal's decision that the scope of regulation 13, Agency Workers Regulations 2010 is limited to providing agency workers with a right to be informed of vacancies within the end user company. It rejected the claim that agency workers were entitled to be afforded equal status with comparable permanent employees in being considered for a vacancy....
The government has issued a consultation document on proposals to introduce a cap of £95,000 on the total value of exit payments made to public sector employees. Any waiver of the cap would require consent from the relevant Minister, or from the full council in the case of local government exit payments. The consultation closes on 27 August 2015....
The whistleblowing charity, Public Concern at Work, has published this week some YouGov survey results showing that, surprisingly, only 48 per cent of workers in a representative sample said their workplace had a whistleblowing policy. This was despite the fact that 81 percent of workers surveyed said they would raise a concern about possible corruption, danger or serious malpractice at work. In the last two years, 11 per cent of workers said they had such concerns. Of those, 59 percent had raised them with their employer....
A consultation is underway (closing on 16 October 2015) on simplifying the tax treatment of termination payments. The proposals are a significant move away from the current regime....
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has launched the #worksforme campaign, which aims to support employees and employers with pregnancy and maternity issues in the workplace....
A tribunal has ruled that an NHS chief unfairly dismissed an employee after she refused his advances. The claimant managed the HR department at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and had a strong working relationship with the defendant, regularly meeting up with him to discuss work over lunch....
Ikea is leading the way in the campaign for a National Living Wage, becoming the first large national retailer to announce plans to comply with the new rates....
The Justice Committee, consisting of 11 cross party MPs is conducting an inquiry into the impact of tribunal fees introduced for claims submitted on or after 29 July 2013....