Trends 2012: Employment law
With so many new legislative proposals around at the moment, this summary sets out details of what is coming into force and when in order to help you plan for the changes over the year ahead and beyond. 1 February 2012 The annual increase to Employment Tribunal limits will take place. The maximum compensatory […]
Analysis: What is ‘fair’? Co-operatives, bonuses and the living wage issue
A new Bill to make it easier for employees to set up their own co-operatives is to be put before Parliament in a bid to make the UK economy more “fair and worthwhile”. In a speech in London yesterday, the Prime Minister said that employee-owned organisations already provided the country with nearly £1 billion-worth of […]
Ask the Expert: Can we cut mileage rates without staff agreement?
The question In 2003, the company set mileage rates at 15p per mile for certain employees who drove their own cars. In 2007, the firm was bought out and became part of a larger group. The current head of the company resigned and a new manager was recruited to take over. In January […]
The Bribery Act: Goodbye to the gravy train
The UK Bribery Act 2010 is ushering in a new era of tighter control over corporate hospitality and employee entertainment. For any business built on wining and dining customers and business partners, the introduction of the Act this July will have a significant impact on its behaviour. To ensure they comply with the law, […]
PC to appeal dismissal for having sex on the job
A police constable plans to appeal against his dismissal for gross misconduct after a probe found that he had sex with five different women while on duty. Troy Van-Eda, who claimed he was separated from his wife, was sacked without notice from the Greater Manchester Police. The move followed an 18-month-long internal investigation undertaken by […]
Health worker fined after illegally accessing patient records
A former health worker has been fined for unlawfully obtaining patient information by accessing the medical records of five members of her ex-husband’s family in order to obtain their new telephone numbers. Juliah Kechil, formerly Merritt, a former health care assistant in the Outpatients Department at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital was convicted under section […]
Understanding ‘what good looks like’ when hiring
As discussed in part one of this two-part series of articles, it is important to understand ‘what good looks like’ in your organisation, not least because there is a cost involved in not doing so. But what exactly can do we do in practical terms to make sure that we are on top of the […]
Tax reform in works to create “John Lewis economy”
The Deputy Prime Minister has urged employers to offer shares to their workers in order to improve productivity and unlock growth, while promising them tax breaks in return. Nick Clegg told an audience at an event hosted by the City of London Corporation and the Centre Forum liberal think tank today that the Coalition Government […]
Test case could see employers set their own DRA
A landmark court case due to take place this week could make it possible for UK employers to set their own default retirement age, even though the state does not have one. The Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on whether a City law firm was within its rights to force former partner, Leslie Seldon, […]
Ask the Expert: What questions can I legally ask on a job application form?
The question Can the following questions legally be asked on a standard application form to be filled in during the interview stage and before a job offer is made? Are you able to attend your main place of work for the hours applicable to the specific job applied for? Are you aware of any […]
Age discrimination still “firmly embedded” in UK workplaces
Age-related discrimination and stereotyping remains “firmly embedded” in UK society, but needs to be tackled due to the rapidly ageing population, according to a new government report. The analysis undertaken by the Department of Work and Pensions on an Office for National Statistics survey of almost 2,200 people, revealed that one in three had experienced […]
Update: PCS threatens further strikes and legal action over pensions
Leaders of the biggest civil service union, the PCS, have warned about the possibility of more strikes and court action if the Government goes ahead with its threat to exclude it from more pension talks. The news came as the GMB, along with 10 other unions, said that they would appeal the High Court’s ruling […]
One third of UK businesses have no staff contingency plans for Olympics
Although the vast majority of UK organisations recognise that this summer’s Olympic Games will be disruptive in workforce terms, almost a third have yet to develop basic contingency plans to cope. A survey of 1,200 public and private sector organisations across the country undertaken by BT revealed that 29% had failed to consider how they […]
Capita plans to offshore TV Licensing jobs branded as “callous”
Hundreds of TV Licensing jobs are at risk of redundancy under plans by outsourcer Capita to relocate – and partly offshore – work from Bristol. Capita is proposing to move 350 jobs from its office in the city to alternative sites in Lancashire and India. The Communication Workers Union branded the move as […]
Accountant jailed for stealing cash due to share disappointment
A company accountant has been jailed for theft after admitting that he stole tens of thousands of pounds from his employer when the shares he bought from the company did not provide the returns expected. According to the Norfolk Eastern Daily Press, Mark Hewitt, an accountant earning more than £65,000 per year, stole £80,000 in […]
Olympus sues 19 current and former execs for £30m in compensation
Olympus is suing 19 former and current executives for £30 million (Y3.61bn) in compensation as it struggles to recover from a long-running £1.1 billion accounting scandal. The Japanese camera manufacturer filed legal papers on 8 January with the Tokyo district court and confirmed today that all board members subject to the lawsuit, including president Shuichi […]
Eradicating human trafficking from the recruitment supply chain
There are more than 27 million victims of human trafficking identified every year – an astonishing figure that’s hard to comprehend at any time in history, let alone in 2012. But the sad fact is that modern day slavery is very much alive and well. Human trafficking is the second largest illegal industry on […]
Trends 2012: Employment tribunals
After being “positively outraged” at the way in which the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust behaved, an employment tribunal awarded compensation of £4.5 million in December to Polish-born consultant, Dr Eva Michalak. The record-breaking award was ordered after Dr Michalak was found to be the victim of prolonged sex and race discrimination at the hands […]
Ask the Expert: Can we sack someone for performing badly?
The question An operations manager recently contacted me and requested that we terminate the employment contract of a member of his team for poor performance. The employee has 13 months service with the firm. I advised him that we should manage the employee’s performance through the company performance management procedures, but he insists […]
PM’s “war” on health and safety branded “appalling and unhelpful”
Prime Ministerial pledges to kill the “health and safety monster” have been branded as “appalling and unhelpful” by an industry expert. David Cameron courted controversy yesterday in a speech to small business leaders in Maidenhead, when he declared “war” on what he described as the “excessive health and safety culture that has become an albatross […]
