Employers must keep in mind recent increases to the financial thresholds used for various employment law calculations – including a week’s pay in statutory redundancy payments and pay rates for sickness and family-related absences....
The recent case of JSM Construction Limited v Western Power Distribution (West Midlands) plc [2020] considers whether construction contracts require a final account mechanism....
In the recent case of Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake & others, the Supreme Court had to decide how sleep in workers’ working time should be calculated for the National Minimum Wage (NMW)....
The Supreme Court in their judgment this morning have ruled that Asda shop workers, who are predominantly female, can compare themselves to their colleagues who work in Asda distribution centres, who are predominantly male, in their equal pay claim. For equal pay claims, the comparator the claimant relies on must be employed by the same employer either at the same establishment, or at a different establishment with ‘common terms’. ...
This year many businesses may sadly have to start selecting some employees for redundancy as furlough leave becomes more expensive and finally ends. Alternatively, managers and HR departments may have to pick up those outstanding performance or conduct issues as furloughed employees return to work. ...
Uber’s announcement about how it will pay its drivers following the Supreme Court decision last month has produced much discussion. ...
On 17 March, the Government wrote to those who are categorised as clinically extremely vulnerable to advise them that from 1 April 2021 they no longer needed shield. ...
The Minister for Women & Equalities, Liz Truss, has called on employers to make flexible working the standard as the UK recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. ...
Employees working from home regularly may be able to benefit from certain tax exemptions, although this cannot be where they are working informally, HMRC guidance has confirmed that if an employee is working from home due to COVID-19, the definition of a homeworking arrangement for tax purposes, will be met for this period. ...
Originally, it was rent that was supposed to reflect only the value of the ground that was being let, ignoring any building on it. The term is now frequently used to mean a low or nominal rent, usually one paid under a long lease that was granted in return for a premium. The landlord gets a capital sum for the lease, so there is no reason for the tenant to pay a full market rent for the property as well. ...
The employment tribunal in Kubilius v Kent Food Ltd ET 3201960/2020 has given judgment on whether dismissing an employee on the grounds of gross misconduct, for not wearing a face mask, was fair. ...
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #ChoosetoChallenge. This is a call not just to women, but to people of any gender to challenge the barriers to gender equality in society, wherever they exist, and to use any privilege or influence they may have to further the cause of gender equality. ...
The Government has confirmed that the furlough scheme will be extended for a further 5 months and will now end on 30 September 2021. ...
With the understandable focus on measures to ease lockdown, keeping up with data protection announcements is unlikely to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. ...
On 6 April 2020, the law relating to employment contracts changed. It now requires further information to be included in contracts and for this to be given to all employees AND workers no later than day one of work. ...
HMRC have lost their appeal against a ruling which found that the journalist and broadcaster, Kay Adams, was not in a ‘disguised’ employment relationship with the BBC when she was providing her services via her personal service company. ...
You may have seen our previous blog on rolling out vaccination programmes for employees. The debate on whether the workforce should be vaccinated continues at a pace in the press, where we have seen Barchester Healthcare join Pimlico Plumbers in considering all new recruits having to be vaccinated as a requirement of the role....
Following the postponement of the VAT reverse charge commencement date in September 2019 and October 2020, HMRC guidance states that the VAT reverse charge on construction services will now come into force from 1 March 2021....
As expected, the Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the decisions of the Employment Tribunal, Employment Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal that the Uber drivers in this case were workers and not self-employed contractors. ...
The UK Home Office has granted more than 2,000 sponsor licences to eligible organisations since July 2020. The total number of licenced sponsors has now increased to 33,000, which allows them to sponsor a worker under either the Skilled Worker or the Intra Company Transfer visa. ...