Following the unexpected victory by the Conservatives in the UK general election on 7 May, the Government has announced its programme for the next session of Parliament. Amongst its proposals, the Government is proposing new laws regulating the ability to take lawful strike action. The new proposals will require a 50% voter turnout threshold in … Continue Reading
The sun may have finally decided to make an appearance but this is no indication of a relaxing summer break for employment specialists! A number of key employment law provisions came into force on 25 June 2013, with 29 July 2013 as the next key date for legislative reform. We take a look at what employment-related … Continue Reading
Employers are becoming more aware of the impact of Facebook and the type of information it can reveal. Some employers use Facebook to find background or character information about their employees or job applicants. Other employers use Facebook to find out whether employees have disclosed information about the employer’s business. Some employers are taking it … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Fiona McFarlane. It is that time of year again when the UK Government brings into force legislative changes relating to employment law. In this update we highlight the changes taking place in April 2012 and consider the impact these might have for employers.… Continue Reading
The Government has recently issued a new “Call for Evidence”, Dealing with dismissal and “Compensated no fault dismissal” for micro businesses. The main aim of the paper is to gather evidence from businesses to establish what can be done to encourage small employers to recruit more employees, whilst at the same time ensuring some protection … Continue Reading
UK employment lawyers and HR professionals need to be on the alert this year to keep up with the numerous consultations and proposals which have been or are expected to be initiated by the Government. The key developments this year will be the increase in April in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal rights from one … Continue Reading
The Government has today announced what it describes as “the most radical reform to the employment law system for decades”. In a speech to EEF, the UK manufacturers’ organisation, Vince Cable outlined the results of the Government’s recent consultation on Resolving Workplace Disputes and the recent Red Tape Challenge Review of employment law. The proposals announced … Continue Reading
Employers could face significant unanticipated penalties under TUPE and collective redundancy legislation as a result of the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (AWR) which came into force on 1 October 2011. The AWR adds to the list of mandatory information to be provided to employee representatives under TUPE (the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations … Continue Reading
In a speech this afternoon to the Conservative Party Conference, George Osborne Chancellor of the Exchequer has confirmed that the qualifying period for standard unfair dismissal claims is to be increased from one year to two from 6 April 2012. This statement does not come as a great surprise since the issue was the subject of … Continue Reading
In this alert we outline the main changes in UK employment law this October. The most notable piece of legislation coming into force this October is the Agency Workers Regulations 2010, but there are quite a few possible changes afoot. These include a forthcoming increase to the qualifying period for employees to bring unfair dismissal claims from … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Carl de Cicco. The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (“AWR”) are due to come into force on 1 October 2011. The AWR put in place the requirements of the controversial EU Temporary Agency Workers’ Directive, which has to be implemented by 5th December this year. Last week, rumours circulated in the media … Continue Reading
Are you ready for the Bribery Act 2010 (“the Act”) which will finally come into force on 1 July 2011? To help you, we summarise below the main points that HR professionals and in-house counsel should be thinking about to ensure their organisations are in the best position to defend themselves against any offences under the … Continue Reading
In the recent case of Bailey v R & R Plant (Peterborough) Limited, the UK Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) considered the procedural requirements for a valid retirement notice under the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 (“Age Regulations”). The case is important since the last date on which such notices could be served was 5 April … Continue Reading
This post was written by Fionnuala Lynch. From 6 April 2011 the PAYE treatment of termination payments to an employee after a P45 has been issued will change. Any employers considering the timing of any imminent dismissals should consider whether it may be better to enter into any compromise agreement or other termination agreement before the … Continue Reading
UK employment law seems to be in a constant state of flux and this year is no exception. Summarised below are the main legislative changes that employers need to know about this April. There are some urgent action points to consider before 6 April regarding serving any last minute retirement notices and the timing of termination payments.… Continue Reading
Guidance on the delayed UK Bribery Act 2010 has now been published. The guidance sets out what procedures a commercial organisation should adopt to prevent persons associated with it from committing offences under the Act. The breadth and importance of this legislation means that companies and their senior officers would be well advised to familiarise … Continue Reading
In our last update, we reported that the UK Government had issued its response to its consultation “Phasing out the Default Retirement Age”, confirming that from 1 October 2011 there will no longer be a default retirement age (DRA) of 65. Draft Regulations were laid before Parliament in February but after much criticism over how they … Continue Reading
The UK Government has now issued its response to its consultation “Phasing out the Default Retirement Age”, confirming that the default retirement age (DRA) of 65 will be abolished from 1 October 2011. The last retirement notice under the current procedure should be issued by no later than 30 March 2011, so employers have very little … Continue Reading
On the day the Equality Act 2010 came into force last Friday, it became apparent that there is a significant drafting error in the Act which could affect the enforceability of compromise agreements intended to settle discrimination and equal pay claims under the Act. In order to have a qualifying compromise agreement the complainant must … Continue Reading
In this Q&A, we have attempted to cover some of your most frequently asked questions on the UK Equality Act 2010. This is not intended to be a comprehensive guide of the new provisions, so if you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. The Equality Act 2010 has been in … Continue Reading
This post was written by Suzie A. Savage. The UK Bribery Act 2010 has far-reaching implications for any business (including US businesses) which is either registered in the UK or which has any part of its operation in the UK. The breadth and importance of this legislation means that companies and their senior officers would … Continue Reading
In force from today are a number of legislative changes which will be of interest to employers. These include the new right to request time off to train and the replacement of sick notes with “fit notes”. Also expected to come into force today are various regulations relating to additional paternity leave which will affect parents … Continue Reading
Equality Bill This long awaited piece of legislation is due to hit the statute books this Spring, with many of its provisions coming into force in October. It is this year’s most significant piece of legislation so far and will affect employers in both the private and public sectors. As well as harmonising and consolidating discrimination … Continue Reading
