News: Industry publishes code of conduct over workplace pension charges

The workplace pensions industry has bowed to political pressure and published a code of conduct relating to the disclosure of schemes’ fees and investment costs, which will come into force next year. The voluntary code, which was launched today, is intended to ensure that such disclosure is consistent in an attempt to make it easier […]

News: Coulson wins legal costs appeal against News Group

Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson has won his appeal against a High Court ruling that News Group Newspapers does not have to pay his legal costs. Coulson, who is facing trial next year on charges related to his alleged involvement in phone hacking while at the now defunct Sunday paper, sued NGN […]

Blog: Shared parenting leave – Is it really a win-win?

The latest government proposals in respect to encouraging a ‘family-friendly’ workplace seem to have met with general approval both from business and employee groups. Under the proposals, unveiled last week by the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, from 2015, after the first two weeks of a mother’s maternity leave, the remaining 50 weeks can be […]

News: Suspended civil servant sues Dept for Transport

A civil servant who was suspended following the West Coast mainline rail franchise fiasco is to take legal action against the Department for Transport over the way that she was treated. Kate Mingay, the DfT’s director of commercial and technical services, was one of three officials suspended in early October, after the government changed its […]

Blog: How to deal with the pregnancy issue – legally

I have recently been contacted by several women who feel they have been unfairly treated by their employers because of pregnancy and maternity issues.  It seems that this is an area of employment law that many employers fall foul of, possibly unintentionally.    Pregnant employees or those on maternity leave have many key rights in […]

News: Employers flout discrimination law for migraine sufferers

Employers may be flouting disability discrimination legislation by failing to make reasonable workplace adjustments for employees who suffer from migraines, a charity has warned. According to a survey conducted by the Migraine Trust, a worrying three out of sufferers who work said that their employer had not made any changes to try and ease their […]

Ask the Expert: What benefits are included under a TUPE transfer?

The question  I am currently working on a TUPE project and need some help on issues relating to terms and conditions of employment.   Under TUPE law, I understand that an employee transfers under the terms and conditions of their employment. But my question is how do you determine what is contractual or not if, […]

News: MPs call for action over recruiters’ worker expenses schemes

A group of MPs stepped up pressure on the government today to crack down on the travel and subsistence expense schemes being imposed on temporary workers by some recruitment agencies in order to cut their tax bill. To this end, the five, who were led by Labour MP Michael Connarty, introduced an Early Day Motion […]

Legal Insight: Have you renewed your foreign worker sponsorship licence?

A major retailer was fined £115,000 earlier this month for employing foreign students who were breaking the conditions of their visas. At the present time, it is unclear whether the supermarket chain’s sponsorship licence is likely to be revoked or suspended too, however.   You may also remember the press coverage at the end of […]

Blog: The HR Headmistress – Adrian Smith and the social media issue

The number of problems that arise from the use of social media has, in recent years, increased dramatically. Facebook now has over 1 billion users, more than 500 million people are said to be tweeting and over 100 million professionals are connecting with each other on LinkedIn.   Every day more and more users of […]

Blog: Five ways to ‘master the moment’

In an instant, you can change your mind. You change the impression you had of someone, or you decide something is not a good idea after all. Politics is full of these moments. General David Patraeus had to resign after being caught in an extra-marital affair. In a moment, questions arose about his military judgment. If […]

News: 2013/14 to see surge in executive pay battles, warns report

Shareholder opposition to executive pay proposals is expected to hit a peak during 2013 and 2014 as a growing number of long-term incentive plans come up for renewal. According to a report by KPMG, the so-called 2012 “shareholder spring” was, in fact “something of an illusion”, even though 10 “serious” revolts over the renumeration packages […]

Blog: Why a JJB Sports’ director lost his unfair dismissal claim

The case A Manchester employment tribunal’s decision to reject a claim of unfair dismissal in a case involving a former company secretary at JJB Sports Plc has been upheld.   Jonathan Ashby maintained that he’d been made redundant without warning or consultation.   But an appeal tribunal sitting in London at the end of last […]

News: Greencore workers win temporary pay cut claim

More than 400 workers at a Hull factory are expected to receive up to £1.2 million after their employer refused to revert back to premium pay rates and enhanced holiday pay following a temporary suspension. According to Unite, the staff at Greencore had agreed to the temporary suspension from June 2010 to October 2011 “in […]

Blog: Employed or self-employed? How to get it right legally

HR professionals at the BBC have had a busy few weeks. The director general, George Entwistle, resigned and was controversially paid a year’s salary (twice his notice period, apparently).   The director of news and her deputy were asked to “step aside” pending the outcome of an internal review into the handling of the Jimmy […]

Legal Insight: The implications of sacking a BNP member

In the summer of 2006, the Court of Appeal confirmed that Serco had acted lawfully in dismissing one of its mini-bus drivers, Arthur Redfearn, following his election onto the local council on behalf of the British National Party. But Redfearn subsequently took his case to the European Court of Human Rights.   He argued that […]

News: Christian demoted for gay marriage opposition wins breach of contract case

A Christian man who was demoted at work for posting his opposition to gay church weddings on Facebook has won a breach of contract lawsuit against his employer. Adrian Smith found himself in trouble with the Trafford Housing Trust after linking an article on the BBC News website entitled ‘Gay church marriages get go ahead’ […]

News: Sainsbury’s to pay £10,000 for wrongfully dismissing coffee drinker

Sainsbury's will have to pay out around £10,000 in lost earnings and severance pay to a worker whom it sacked after leaving the store for just two minutes to find money for a coffee. According to the Daily Mail, Steven Tyler, who had worked as a baker at the supermarket for 11 years before being […]

News: Employers unaware of fitness-to-drive responsibilities

A worrying number of employers are unaware that they have a shared responsibility to ensure that employees are fit to drive if doing so in the course of their work. According to a survey conducted among more than 200 employers by Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, however, 57% believe that responsibility for ensuring that their eyesight is […]

Ask the Expert: What holiday pay are staff entitled to if off sick?

The question I was looking through our sickness policy the other day and saw it stated that "when sickness absence is over four weeks, holiday pay will cease to accrue".   Further along, it also said that "if you fall sick during a time that has been booked for holiday, you will not be able […]