From 6 April 2024, the Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act 2023 will come into force. This new legislation will ensure that employees who are pregnant or returning from maternity, adoption or shared parental leave are afforded priority status for redeployment opportunities in a redundancy situation. Under the current law, employees on maternity […]
Carer’s Leave Act 2023
From 6 April 2024, employees will have a statutory right to one week’s unpaid leave to care for a dependant with a long-term care need. The Carer’s Leave Regulations 2024 have now been published in draft form and provide the details about how this new right will work in practice. The definition of “dependant” aligns […]
UK Government publishes draft legislation on holiday entitlement and pay
The UK Government has published draft legislation to implement important changes to holiday entitlement and pay under the Working Time Regulations. The draft Employment Rights (Amendment, Revocation and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2023 follow the Government’s response to two consultations covering a raft of holiday pay issues generated by EU law and domestic case law. The […]
Menopause and employee rights
At what point can you raise legitimate concerns with an employee whose performance has declined due to menopausal symptoms? What reasonable adjustments do you need to make and what is a reasonable amount of time to give them to improve? Some guidance is provided in the recent case of Ms M Lynskey v Direct Line […]
Retention of Equal Pay Single Source Protection
In a recent move, the UK Government has announced plans to reinstate equal pay protection measures that were previously axed as part of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023. This decision is a significant step towards ensuring gender pay equality in the UK. The so-called ‘single source’ test, currently enshrined in the […]
Government to Limit Non-Compete Clauses to Three Months
The UK Government has announced plans to limit the length of non-compete clauses in employment contracts to three months. This means that employees will be able to join competitors or start up rival businesses more easily. The change is expected to benefit the wider economy by increasing the talent pool available to businesses. What are […]
The Workers Act 2023: What you need to know
The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 was given Royal Assent on 18 September 2023. This groundbreaking legislation will give all workers, including those on zero-hours or temporary contracts, the legal right to request a predictable working pattern. It is expected to affect approximately one million workers across the UK. The Business and Trade […]
Worker Protection Bill: Key elements amended or scrapped
Earlier this year, we reported that the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill was passing through Parliament and anticipated to receive Royal Assent in 2024. However, several key elements of the Bill relating to third-party liability and sexual harassment have now been either amended or scrapped entirely following its passage through the House […]
Is two weeks’ paid paternity leave enough?
A new report from the Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP), Pregnant Then Screwed and Women in Data, on the societal and economic impact of paternity leave has found that increasing paid paternity leave to six weeks could reduce the gender pay gap and help to equalise men and women’s participation in the labour market. The […]
Excessive training fees and employee repayment clauses
The workplace has changed dramatically in recent decades, and employees need to be more highly trained than ever before to keep up with the demands of their jobs. In addition to this, companies often highlight the skills and qualifications of their employees to show that they can offer a superior service. As a result, a wide […]
EAT ruling that negative comments did not constitute harassment
In a recent case heard at the Employment Appeal Tribunal, the Appellate Judge ruled that negative comments made by work colleagues about a disabled MGV driver did not constitute harassment because he was unaware of them. Mr Greasley-Adams claimed that his colleagues at Royal Mail Group were harassing him because of his disability. However, […]
Minimum service levels required during strike action
Against a backdrop of increased industrial action in public services, the UK Government proposed a new Bill providing for regulations to set minimum service levels (MSL’s) during strike action in a number of public service sectors. The Strikes Bill received Royal Assent on 20 July 2023 and the Government is now changing the conditions that […]
David Harris speaks on BBC Radio about the future for Wilko employees
After its announcement that it has taken “the difficult decision” to “enter administration”, Wilko’s 12,500 employees are now faced with possible redundancy if the administrators are unable to find a buyer for the high street retailer. In his discussion with Kirsten O’Brian on BBC Radio Berkshire, Managing Partner, David Harris explains the way forward for […]
Statutory Code of Practice on changing employment terms
The draft Code of Practice on changing employment terms for employees was published on 24 January 2023 with a twelve-week consultation period that ended on 18 April 2023. There was very little in the draft Code that diverged from the way institutions have been dealing with the issue of termination and re-engagement, where it becomes […]