HR / Employment Law News

Tribunal consults on Vento bands

The Presidents of the Employment Tribunals have issued a joint consultation statement seeking views on RPI-linked increases to the bands of awards for injury to feelings in discrimination cases, which have not risen since 2009. To explain, the lower band is intended to capture less serious cases of discrimination, such as a one-off act of relatively minor harassment or discrimination. The middle band is for cases which are serious, but cannot reasonably be said to fall into the upper

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2nd August 2017

Employment Tribunal Fees to be Abolished

The Supreme Court has today published its landmark decision in the long-running legal battle between the Government and UNISON regarding the legality of Employment Tribunal fees. The Court has ruled that the current system effectively prevents access to justice, and is unlawful. The Ministry of Justice has said that it will take immediate steps to stop charging. Fees for bringing a claim in the Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal were introduced in 2013, with claimants having to pay up to £1200

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26th July 2017

Accommodating Ramadan in the workplace

We are currently in the midst of Ramadan which, for many Muslims, is a period of religious observance. Failing to account for this in the workplace can give rise to employee relations issues and risk exposure to tribunal claims. Here, we look at ways in which employers can support their Muslim employees during this period. Ramadan is the annual four week period during which Muslims fast from dawn until dusk, pray and give to charity. Its observance is a part

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15th June 2017

Full pay awarded during paternity leave

Since the introduction of Shared Parental Leave arrangements, many organisations providing enhanced maternity pay have considered whether similar increased benefits should be provided where fathers/partners access paternity and shared parental leave. In the case of Ali vs Capita Customer Management, Ali succeeded in his claim for full pay during shared parental leave on the basis that the Company provided (under protected terms from his previous employer) 14 weeks full pay as an enhanced maternity package. Ali took 2 weeks paternity

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5th June 2017

An Introduction to Health Surveillance

What is Health Surveillance? Health surveillance is a system of ongoing health checks on those working within an organisation which allows for early detection of ill-health and helps identify any corrective action needed. Health surveillance may be required by law if your workers are exposed to: noise vibration solvents fumes dusts biological agents other substances hazardous to health work with compressed air All the above areas of surveillance are required by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations

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19th May 2017

Is Theresa May’s pledge to protect workers’ rights all it seems?

Certain employment-related elements of the Conservative Party’s manifesto were announced earlier this week. However, the Tory pledge to protect all workers’ rights currently guaranteed by EU law might not be as bold as it appears. Chris Nagel, EML’s Director / Head of HR, comments: “As UK legislation has already enacted a large proportion of EU employment law, it will remain effective until amended. Such changes would require Parliamentary approval which, of course, would take time. Given the rigmarole involved, it

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18th May 2017

Does your employment documentation discriminate on the grounds of age?

When was the last time you reviewed you employment documentation to ensure you aren’t discriminating against age? Age discrimination occurs when you unfairly disadvantage someone on the grounds of age for reasons that you can’t objectively justify. Examples include: Stipulating age restrictions on job advertisements Forcing employees to retire at a certain age Only recruiting employees from specific age groups Using ageist language such as referring to someone as a “youngster” or “old timer” Asking for a date of birth

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17th May 2017

Gender pay gap data now accessible online

Further to the implementation of the Gender Pay Gap Regulations, the information published by organisations is now publically accessible via the gender pay gap viewing service. This can be accessed here. By way of a reminder, the Regulations required large private and voluntary sector employers (i.e. those with 250 employees or more) in England, Wales and Scotland to take a snapshot of pay and bonuses as at 5 April 2017 (although it was 31 March 2017 for public sector organisations).

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8th May 2017

Mediation – An efficient and effective means of managing conflict in the workplace

How do you deal with conflict in your workplace? What do you do when employees fall out and can no longer work together? Workplace conflict, if not dealt with effectively, can quickly escalate to more serious problems, such as stress-related absenteeism, grievances and even tribunal claims. Endeavouring to resolve workplace conflict via formal procedures can be time consuming, costly and will often fail to resolve matters to the satisfaction of all parties. So what alternative do you have as

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30th March 2017

Selected employment tribunal decisions now freely accessible online

The Government has established a new webpage with links to recent employment tribunal decisions. It provides access to first-instance judgments from England, Wales and Scotland via a free-text search and drop-down menus. Previously, such decisions were only accessible by attendance in person at the Bury St Edmunds regional office. There is currently a selection of decisions from the last 3 years, although HM Courts and Tribunals Service has already stated that there are no plans to make older decisions available

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14th February 2017

Christmas parties – How far does employer liability extend?

In the recent case of Mohamud v WM Morrison Supermarkets plc, the Supreme Court broadened the scope of the employee acts for which employers can be held vicariously liable. However, the case of Bellman v Northampton Recruitment Ltd provides a useful reminder that liability does not extend beyond work-related activities. In the Bellman case, the High Court considered the question of whether an employer was vicariously liable for an assault that took place at a gathering which followed the work

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12th December 2016

Indirect Sex Discrimination in relation to flexible working requests

The case of XC Trains LTd v CD and ASLEF concerned “indirect discrimination.” Indirect discrimination is where: A non-discriminatory requirement (“Provision, criterion or Practice” or PCP) has a disproportionately adverse effect on people with a protected characteristic which puts them at a particular disadvantage as compared with people without that protected characteristic; and The Employer cannot show that that PCP is a “proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”. [Ref: s19, Equality Act 2010] The Claimant was a female train

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21st November 2016

Are you status conscious?

Self-employed, worker, employee, the status of individual’s and their respective rights, has often been a cause for confusion and debate, whether considering the appropriate procedures to follow or if companies are liable for income tax and national insurance contributions. The recent case considered within the London Employment Tribunal put forward by two Uber drivers, argued that due to the levels of control maintained by Uber, drivers are not self-employed but ‘workers’. The drivers have won this round, with the result being dubbed

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28th October 2016

The dilemma of upholding a complaint of bullying or discrimination in the context of a grievance

The sixty-four-thousand-dollar question: How does an employer uphold a complaint of bullying or discrimination without risking further exposure to a related Employment Tribunal claim? As is invariably the case in respect of grievances that include complaints of bullying, harassment and discrimination, the employer is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea in this regard. Should it try desperately not to make any admissions for fear of providing further evidence in support of the employee’s allegations and thereby facilitating

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23rd September 2016

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