Changes are soon to be made to the present system of criminal records checks, including the merger of the Criminal Records Bureau and the Independent Safeguarding Authority to form the "Disclosure and Barring Service". The changes, made under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, were first set in motion two years ago when the government put an immediate halt to the requirement for individuals working with children or vulnerable adults to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority, insisting that the Vetting and Barring Scheme ( the "VBS") needed to be scaled back to "common-sense levels"....
In Crisp v Apple (UK), Mr Crisp had been employed by Apple (UK) and he was dismissed for gross misconduct having been found to have written a number of derogatory comments on a "private" Facebook page, outside working hours. One of his Facebook "friends" saw the comments, printed them off and obligingly passed them to the store manager....
The Government has launched a consultation to consider changes to the rules on collective redundancies....
Two new Immigration Resources are now available on Buddy: Right to work checking process - this is a helpful flowchart setting out when an employer should carry out checks in relation to prospective and current employees. Right to work checks - who is an employee? - Trying to establish who is an employee for the purposes of the preventing illegal working regulations is a common query. This reso...
With the worsening situation in Syria, it was not unexpected that the BBC reported at the end of last week that the head of the Syrian Olympic Committee - General Mowaffak Joumaa - has been banned from attending the London Games. However the controversy of the decision lies in the fact that the International Olympic Committee`s stance has been one of avoiding political interference - and it is th...
In the case of Mitchells of Lancaster (Brewers) Ltd v Tattersall it was decided that the use of subjective redundancy criteria was not considered to be unacceptable. Mr Tattersall was one of the five senior managers at Lancaster (Brewers) Ltd, who was unfairly dismissed after a flawed redundancy selection process, but within a 20% Polkey deduction. The Company appealed on several grounds, but th...
Earlier this year, the Independent reported that immigration does not cause unemployment. Research from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research found that the opposite may be true and that increased immigration could reduce unemployment rates. Unemployment has risen sharply since early 2008, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics which show that there are now...
As more businesses look to transact business abroad and enter lucrative new markets, inevitably senior personnel with knowledge and understanding of those markets will be recruited from overseas to work in the UK to spearhead development....
Dr Norman Milligan (a consultant neurologist with 37 years experience), was forced to retire at the age of 59 in 2010, from his role at Poole NHS Foundation Trust. He had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. This had developed as he had unfortunately watched a relative die in intensive care in March of the same year and consequently started to suffer from anxiety, night-terrors a...
The Government has written to the Low Pay Commission (LPC) today setting out its remit for its 2013 Report....
In the recent decision in Wright Hassall LLP v Morris (2012), the Court was asked to determine whether an administrator was personally liable for an award of damages and costs entered against two companies in administration....
There are many different ways that a dispute can be resolved other than through the Courts. Since the Civil Procedure Rules were implemented in 1999, there has been a strong emphasis on encouraging parties to try to settle their differences out of Court wherever possible. In particular, the Courts have encouraged parties to resolve their disputes through mediation....
Latest survey shows that we are not as happy as we were....
Late yesterday evening at the second reading of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, the Government announced plans to introduce "settlement agreements" for all employers. The aim is to make it easier for small employers to offer employees a financial incentive to leave voluntarily before a formal dispute arises....
A review of apprenticeships in England has been launched by the Government. The review is to be led by Doug Richard (entrepreneur and campaigner for start up and small businesses) and will look at what makes a high-quality apprenticeship....
In a three month period between 1st July 2011 to 30th September 2011, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) issued civil penalties to employers amounting to £2,934,500. The total amount of fines may reduce if employers bring successful appeals or challenges to the fines imposed....
ACAS has published new guidance covering Challenging conversations and how to manage them....
Figures released by the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee show the level of bonuses that were paid out for work carried out in 2010/11 - UK Border Agency civil servants get bonuses of up to £7,000: 1 in 4 senior civil servants at the UK Border Agency received bonuses of up to £7,000 last year; A fifth took home a bonus of between £4,500 and £5,000; and 1 in 25 were paid bonuses o...
Many of you might have noticed the words "the Tenant will deliver up vacant possession of the Premises........" in a break clause in your lease. What does that actually mean?...
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has ordered a review of anti-racism reforms within the Metropolitan Police. It will look at measures adopted as a result of the Race and Faith Inquiry set up by the mayor in 2008. The response to this inquiry was published in 2010, and stated the Met needed a "fresh and energetic" approach to making the principles of equality, diversity and human rights a pract...