Employment News

Unfair Dismissal and Political Opinions

Is it unfair to dismiss an employee because of their political opinions?  Not necessarily said the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Redfearn –v- UK.   However, the dismissed employee must have the opportunity to judicially challenge the dismissal. Read more

Victimisation: Unfounded Grievances and Dismissal

Can an employer fairly dismiss an employee who, over a sustained period, persistently raises unsubstantiated grievances and tribunal claims?  Only in exceptional cases, said the Employment Appeal Tribunal in Woodhouse v West North West Homes Leeds Ltd. Read more

ERR Act 2013 and New Tribunal Rules

Many and varied have been the employment law reforms discussed over the last few years. Some of them finally come into force this summer. We summarise them below, with further details to follow as the clock ticks round. Read more

Whistleblowing Consultation

Earlier this year, the whistleblowing charity Public Concern at Work set up a Commission to look at whistleblowing in the workplace.  A public consultation is being carried out to establish whether the current legal framework is fit for purpose. Read more

Working Conditions for Fishermen

The Work in Fishing Convention aims to ensure decent working conditions for fishermen by setting out minimum standards for crew working onboard fishing vessels.   It covers a broad range of issues including health and safety, repatriation, wages, onboard living accommodation, the provision of food onboard and social security. Read more

List of Illegal Internships passed to HMRC

Minister for Employment Relations, Jo Swinson, has supplied HMRC with a list of 100 companies who are alleged to have been illegally using interns.   These companies, which are thought to include household names, are accused of failing to pay their interns the National Minimum Wage. Read more

Selection Criteria in Redundancy

Objectivity in a redundancy selection is a key element of fairness.   The criteria used to score “at risk” employees within a selection pool in order to decide who is made redundant should, as far as possible, be objective (eg attendance, disciplinary record) rather than subjective (eg attitude). Read more

Update on Double Jeopardy in Disciplinary Proceedings

In an article posted on 1st June 2012, we explained the decision in Christou and Ward v London Borough of Haringey which was subsequently appealed to the Court of Appeal. Read more

Seafarers National Insurance

As part of the 2013 Budget, the Government has announced its intention to strengthen the current tax rules to prevent offshore intermediaries avoiding UK tax and national insurance payments in respect of UK based workers. Read more

Religious rights in the workplace: EHRC publishes guidance for employers

Following the recent European Court of Human Rights judgement in four joined cases on religious discrimination at work, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has published helpful guidance for employers. Read more