mobility clause

Subscribe to mobility clause

In Abellio London Ltd (Formerly Travel London Ltd) v Musse and others UKEAT 0283/11 and 0631/11, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) ruled that a relocation of six miles within central London which resulted in the employees having to travel an extra one to two hours to work following a service provision change amounted to a substantial change to employees’ working conditions to their material detriment entitling them to resign under regulation 4(9) of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (“TUPE”). As regulation 4(9) of TUPE deems an employee’s resignation to be a “dismissal” where it is in response to such a change, the employees concerned were entitled to claim automatic unfair dismissal and liability for their dismissals passed to the transferee. Since it would not have mattered had the contracts of employment contained valid mobility clauses, the decision is not good news for transferees in TUPE transfer situations. The decision sets a very low hurdle for employees to overcome in order to be able to resign in reliance on regulation 4(9) of TUPE. Transferees will need to consider the extent of this risk when negotiating transfer provisions with the transferor, and, if necessary, seek indemnity protection.
Continue Reading Service provision changes: Relocation because of TUPE transfer was a substantial change to employees’ material detriment

In an important decision concerning TUPE transfers, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has given guidance in the case of Tapere v South London & Maudsley NHS Trust on, first, the interpretation of mobility clauses in the context of a TUPE transfer and, secondly, on Reg 4(9) TUPE, which allows a transferred employee to treat themselves as dismissed if a relevant transfer involves a substantial change in working conditions which is to the employee’s material detriment. The EAT held that "detriment" should be considered using the subjective approach which applies in discrimination law. The case will be particularly important to purchasers of businesses and transferees in outsourcing situations where transferred employees are required to move location after the transfer takes place.Continue Reading TUPE and Constructive Dismissal