A decision of the employment tribunal this week is a timely reminder about employee`s behaviour at Christmas parties. Last Christmas, Virgin Media organised a festive party at which Tracy Cordiner, their employee, attended. She had too much to drink (which she later admitted) and allegedly made inappropriate and racist comments about her colleagues as well as allegedly sexually harassing...
The government has launched an inquiry into trade union tactics following the dispute at the Grangemouth petrochemical plant, which almost led to its closure. The review, headed by Bruce Carr QC, will examine whether the law needs to be tightened up to prevent "intimidation" and "harassment". However, the inquiry will make recommendations about the roles of ministers, employers and workers in...
The Government is currently consulting upon the current charging structure for immigration fees and visas required by individuals who want to visit, live and work in the UK. The consultation which is open until 3 December 2013, seeks views upon how the Government can ensure that those individuals who benefit directly from the immigration system and border control contribute appropriately to its r...
You may deal with immigration issues in your business. The Government has announced that a consultation process will be undertaken about immigration fees and charges. The consultation started on 12 November and will last for 3 weeks. The government has announced a consultation looking at charging principles which begins on 12 November and will last for 3 weeks, its purpose is to ensure that thos...
In many disputes between parties based in different jurisdictions, one of the key battles will be over the place in which a dispute should be heard. This tactical battle will involve pragmatic considerations, such as convenience, cost and the presence of assets in a particular jurisdiction against which any subsequent judgment can be enforced. There may also be concerns about whether both parties will receive a fair hearing...
Michael Sippitt, Chairman of the Commonwealth Environmental Investment Platform (CEIP), explained the opportunities the CEIP creates, at the launch of the Sri Lanka hub held at Colombo Courtyard, on Thursday 14th November, 2013:...
John McCririck was a horse racing broadcaster for Channel 4 for 28 years. In 2012 he was let go aged 72. McCririck claimed this was because Channel 4, and the TV production company IMG Media Limited, were ageist and wanted to hire younger faces. McCririck has always been known for his flamboyant dress sense. But over more recent years he has also been known for his chauvinistic outbursts on...
It has been reported that five prison officers from Wandsworth Prison in South London have been disciplined by their employer for wearing t-shirts with the words "We have Madeleine McCann" printed on them whilst on a boys` night out. The Prison Service was alerted to photographs of the officers on Facebook some two months after the photographs originally appeared on the site. One of the offic...
The Employment Appeal Tribunal in Whittlestone -v- BJP Home Support Ltd has recently considered whether time spent sleeping on a job and travelling for work should be paid at the National MinimumWage. Mrs Whittlestone was a care worker. For part of her role, she worked a shift from 11pm to 7am which was termed a ‘sleepover` to provide potential physical care for three young adults suffering fr...
Most companies in the business of selling physical goods of any sort will include a retention of title clause in their terms of business. The purpose of such a clause is to prevent title in the goods passing to the buyer unless and until payment has been received, and to enable the seller to recover the goods if payment is not made...
This matter came before the Technology and Construction Court to, amongst wider issues, interpret the obligations of a contractor to provide the employer with ancillary documentation in the form of sub-contractor collateral warranties, a parent company guarantee and a performance bond following the termination of an NEC3 contract for the development of retail space...
The EU Commission estimates that over 100,000 third-country seasonal workers come to the EU every year. A new Directive aims to end exploitation as well as ensuring that temporary stays do not become permanent. If approved at a plenary vote which is due to take place in January 2014, member states will have two and a half years to bring it into effect. It is proposed that any application to ente...
Thank you to those who attended our Centenary Charity Reception at The Ivy on Wednesday 6th November. We were delighted with the attendance and support in not only celebrating our centenary, but in raising profile and donations for our three nominated charities, Alexander Devine`s Children`s Hospice, Contact the Elderly and Cardiff Foodbank....
The government has published the draft Collective Redundancies and Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (Amendment) Regulations 2013. The draft regulations reflect the government`s response to the consultation on proposed changes to TUPE, which was published in September 2013. The draft regulations will be laid before Parliament in December and are expected to come into force in Ja...
The Times reports today on the case of a female equity salesperson who has won her employment tribunal case where she claimed that she had her £95,000 salary cut to the £6.08 per hour minimum wage "because she was a woman". There was a sexist culture where male bankers referred to their firm as "Bunga-Bunga Securities". After succeeding in her sex discrimination claim, she is seeking substantial...
The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) was introduced on 6 April 2010 and enables local authorities within England and Wales to raise funds from developers undertaking building projects within its area. The funds are used to implement infrastructure to support development within the area. The CIL is a set tariff, subject to public consultation and examination....
For over 10 years a succession of cases has made it clear that a failure to engage in alternative dispute resolution, including mediation, might lead to negative costs consequences in litigation...
The opportunity for Cardiff to lead the development of smart, sustainable cities internationally was outlined last week at a conference hosted by Cardiff Council and the Commonwealth Environmental Investment Platform (CEIP) at Cardiff`s SWALEC Stadium. Attended by business and sustainability leaders from across the UK and internationally, the proceedings of the conference demonstrated the environmental and economic benefits available to cities, especially those in the Commonwealth, by sharing their expertise in technology, innovation and knowledge....
In March 2013, the government launched a consultation seeking views on proposals for reforming apprenticeships in England. It described the present system as "prescriptive". The response to that consultation, in the form of an "implementation plan", has now been published. Existing apprenticeship frameworks, governed by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (ASCLA 2009),...
The Office for National Statistics has launched an investigation into how it measures the number of British workers employed on zero hours contracts. It seems that nobody really knows how many there are. Last week, the business secretary, Vince Cable, last week wrote to the ONS to raise his concerns about "the lack of reliable statistics that are available on zero-hours contracts". The topic hit...