In Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs v Public and Commercial Services Union and two other cases [2024] UKSC 41, the Supreme Court overturned a Court of Appeal decision and held that a trade union was entitled, under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 (the 1999 Act
The new Employment Rights Bill: What does it mean for employers?
On 10 October, the Government published the Employment Rights Bill 2024 (the Bill). The Bill contains significant reforms to employment rights and has been hailed as being a “once in a generation” change to the employment rights of workers. Its aim is to “deliver economic security and growth to businesses, workers and communities across…
The New Duty on Employers to Prevent Sexual Harassment: What You Need to Know
In recent years, the fight against sexual harassment in the workplace has gained significant traction, driven by movements like #MeToo and growing awareness of the pervasive nature of the issue. The public is increasingly calling for stronger protections and preventative measures to ensure they can work free from harassment. In response to this, the UK…
What’s Next for equal pay law?
An analysis of the landmark victory for female retail consultants against British retailer Next plc
Introduction
More than 3,500 current and former female retail consultants have won a six-year legal battle for equal pay against British retailer Next plc (Next). In a significant judgment, Leeds Employment Tribunal ruled that Next had failed to…
The Kings Speech – What does it include on Worker’s Rights?
On 17 July the new Labour Government published the King’s Speech in which it announced that the government is committed to securing economic growth by a new partnership with business and working people and is committed to make work pay and will legislate to introduce a new deal for working people to ban exploitative practices…
Government consults on changes to TUPE and European Works Councils
On 16 May 2024, the UK government launched a consultation paper setting out proposed amendments to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) and abolishing the legal framework for European Works Councils (EWCs). This follows the policy paper published in May 2023, “Smarter regulation to grow the economy”. Despite the general election…
EU confirms agreement on rules to improve working conditions of platform workers
On 11 March the Council of the EU confirmed the provisional agreement reached on the Platform Workers Directive (the Directive). The Directive aims to improve the working conditions of those who work on platforms in the gig economy and will also regulate the use of algorithms by digital labour platforms.
Employment protection
The EU suggests…
Employment: What is coming into force in April 2024?
As we highlighted in our previous post (What to expect in employment law in 2024), 2023 saw the introduction of several significant employment legislative changes. Just to remind you of the changes due to come into effect in April.
Holiday Leave and Pay:
Provisions for irregular hours and part-year workers apply to leave…
Territorial Jurisdiction – where is the employee’s base?
In Yacht Management Company Ltd v Gordon the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has upheld a decision of the Employment Tribunal, that there were numerous factors to support the Tribunal’s conclusion that it had jurisdiction to hear a claim of unfair dismissal brought by the employee because the seafarer’s “base” was her home in Aberdeen…
Preparing for new employment laws in 2024: an HR checklist
This year is set to be a busy one for employers and, in particular, HR professionals, with a number of new employment laws and developments coming into force throughout 2024. This includes new rules on holiday leave and pay and the application of TUPE, changes to flexible working and increased protection from redundancy and sexual…