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BIC UK Ltd v Burgess [2019] – employer appeal successful: retrospective amendment re-wrote history to an impermissible extent

Lesley HarroldBy Lesley Harrold on Posted in Europe, UK
BIC UK Ltd v Burgess [2019] – employer appeal successful: retrospective amendment re-wrote history to an impermissible extent The Court of Appeal (CA) has unanimously ruled that a retrospective amendment to the deed and rules of the BIC UK Pension Scheme (the Scheme) was invalid. Last year, the High Court had ruled that whilst the … Continue reading

UK pensions: Does an employer have a duty to advise a dying employee on the implications of taking ill-health benefits early?

Lesley HarroldBy Lesley Harrold on Posted in Europe, General, UK
The smooth operation of a pension scheme depends on an efficient flow of information between the employer and the member. Frequently, the Pensions Ombudsman is asked to consider scheme trustees’ and employers’ duties on providing benefit information to members. Where the law is silent, this can be a tricky area to navigate and considerable uncertainty … Continue reading

Ethnicity pay gap reporting in the UK

Claire Darbourne (UK)By Claire Darbourne (UK) on Posted in Discrimination and harassment, Europe, UK
As reported in an earlier post, the UK Government introduced mandatory gender pay gap reporting in 2017. An independent review conducted in 2017, Race in the workplace, made a number of recommendations for removing the barriers to workplace progression faced by ethnic minorities including the introduction of mandatory reporting of ethnicity pay data. At that … Continue reading

UK Employment law changes April 2019

Global Workplace InsiderBy Amanda Sanders on Posted in General, UK, Uncategorized
Despite Brexit dominating the headlines there are several key changes to employment law coming into force in April 2019. Extension of itemised pay statements to workers, not just employees – 6 April 2019   Currently, only employees are required to be given an itemised pay statement. From 6 April the Employment Rights Act (Itemised Pay … Continue reading

What to expect in 2019

Claire Darbourne (UK)By Claire Darbourne (UK) on Posted in Contracts, Europe, General, UK
Following a Government-commissioned review of employment working practices in the UK which was published in 2017, a number of developments in employment law reform are expected over the coming months. The Government published its latest proposals in December, covering a number of areas for change, some intended to improve the enforcement of employment rights, some … Continue reading

Religious discrimination claim – whose religion?

Global Workplace InsiderBy Amanda Sanders on Posted in Discrimination and harassment, UK
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has held that where an employer (or individuals on behalf of the employer) acts because of their own religion or belief, this may not lead to an employee bringing a successful claim for direct discrimination on grounds of religion or belief. The EAT upheld the employer’s appeal, overturning the Employment … Continue reading

The immigration white paper – what will it mean for the UK’s future immigration system?

Lauren Pullen-Stanley (UK)By Lauren Pullen-Stanley (UK) and Amanda Sanders on Posted in Europe, General, UK
The UK Government has now published the White Paper on the future immigration system for the UK after it leaves the EU. It has confirmed, following many of the recommendations by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), that it will adopt a new single skills-based immigration system from 1 January 2021.  The new system will put … Continue reading

Claim by track cyclist Jess Varnish to be heard in the employment tribunal next week

Claire Darbourne (UK)By Claire Darbourne (UK) on Posted in Discrimination and harassment, Europe, UK
Track cyclist Jess Varnish brought a claim of sex discrimination against British Cycling and UK Sport last year, following her removal from the Great Britain Olympic team just months before the 2016 Rio Games. In the UK, protection from discrimination in the workplace is governed by the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). However, in order … Continue reading

Employees on Long term sickness – when can an employer dismiss?

Global Workplace InsiderBy Amanda Sanders on Posted in Contracts, Discrimination and harassment, UK
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has recently confirmed that employers should take care when dismissing an employee who is entitled to participate in a permanent health insurance (PHI) scheme and is absent from work by reason of long term ill health. It held that there is an implied term that an employer will not dismiss … Continue reading

Do managers typically think of personal liability when making decisions to dismiss? They perhaps should

Paul Griffin (UK)By Paul Griffin (UK) on Posted in General, UK, Whistleblowing
Directors and senior managers and their employers should consider the recent Court of Appeal decision in the Osipov whistleblowing case very carefully. Briefly, by way of scene-setting, Osipov had made a series of protected disclosures and he was ultimately dismissed as CEO of the employer company pursuant to a decision of two non-executive directors (NEDS) … Continue reading

Vicarious liability in the data breach context – bad news for UK employers

Global Workplace InsiderCatrina Smith (UK)By Amanda Sanders and Catrina Smith (UK) on Posted in Data privacy and GDPR, General, UK
The Court of Appeal has upheld a decision of the High Court holding that an employer can be vicariously liable for data breaches caused by the actions of an employee, even where the employee’s actions were specifically intended to harm the employer. This decision is significant as it means a company can be held liable … Continue reading

Employee rights on bereavement

Claire Darbourne (UK)By Claire Darbourne (UK) on Posted in Contracts, Europe, UK
In the UK, compassionate leave for employees in the event of bereavement has until now been dealt with by way of employment policies. There have been no specific legal rights on bereavement, whether in relation to the death of a family member or anyone else close to the employee. Any rights which they have to … Continue reading

Corporate Governance Reform – new disclosure requirements

Global Workplace InsiderBy Amanda Sanders on Posted in General, UK
Following on from it proposals for reform, which we reported on at the end of last year (Corporate Governance Proposals), the UK Government has now published draft regulations, (the draft Companies (Miscellaneous Reporting) Regulations 2018). The Draft Regulations will implement some of the proposals, in particular in relation to holding larger companies to account for … Continue reading

Overtime and holiday pay – non-guaranteed and voluntary overtime

Global Workplace InsiderBy Amanda Sanders on Posted in Contracts, Europe, UK
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in the UK has recently considered whether voluntary as well as non-guaranteed overtime should be taken into account in calculating the amount of holiday pay. The question arose both under the terms and conditions of the claimants’ employment, but also pursuant to the EU Working Time Directive (No.2003/88) (WTD). The … Continue reading

“High heels and workplace dress codes” – the UK Government Equalities Office publishes guidance

Claire Darbourne (UK)By Claire Darbourne (UK) on Posted in Discrimination and harassment, Europe, UK
In December 2015, an agency worker arrived to work as a receptionist and was sent home without pay for failure to wear high heels in accordance with the agency’s dress code. The story attracted widespread media attention, and led to an enquiry by a House of Commons Committee whose report was published in January 2017. … Continue reading

Appointing Contractors through a personal service company – employment and tax implications

Global Workplace InsiderBy Amanda Sanders on Posted in Contracts, UK
Following on from the recent cases on employment status there has been much discussion regarding how individuals should be appointed. Whilst some commentary has suggested that companies should consider appointing their contractors through Personal Service Companies (PSC’s), is this an ideal solution? Currently, where a private sector employer appoints a contractor who operates through a … Continue reading

Corporate Governance Reform – new disclosure requirements

Global Workplace InsiderBy Amanda Sanders on Posted in UK, Uncategorized
Following on from it proposals for reform, which we reported on at the end of last year (Corporate Governance Proposals), the UK Government has now published draft regulations, (the draft Companies (Miscellaneous Reporting) Regulations 2018) . The draft regulations will implement some of the proposals, in particular in relation to holding larger companies to account … Continue reading

UK Supreme Court holds that plumber engaged by Pimlico Plumbers was a “worker” and not a self-employed contractor

Claire Darbourne (UK)By Claire Darbourne (UK) on Posted in Discrimination and harassment, Europe, UK
The Supreme Court has dismissed the latest appeal by Pimlico Plumbers Ltd (the Company) against the employment tribunal’s decision that one of its plumbers, Mr Smith, was a “worker” under the provisions of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA) and the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR).   The Supreme Court held that, on the facts of … Continue reading
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