Employers frequently suspend employees as a “knee- jerk” reaction to investigate allegations which have been raised or circumstances which have arisen. Generally, however, suspension will only be relevant where there are gross misconduct or serious misconduct allegations which require investigation and an employer will not be able to do so whilst the employee remains in […]

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The Ministry of Justice has published the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (the “Protocol”).  This comes into force on the 1st October 2017. The Protocol applies to any business, which includes sole traders and public bodies, claiming payment of a debt (the “creditor”) from an individual (including a sole trader) (the “debtor”).  The Protocol does not […]

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Protection for whistleblowers was introduced by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. The Tribunals interpreted this legislation widely and decided that in order for an employee to be protected, a disclosure did not have to involve the interests of the public at large. In fact, as a result of the case of Parkins v Sodexho […]

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Since the introduction of Employment Tribunal fees in July 2013, there has been around a 70% reduction in the number of Tribunal claims being issued. Four years later, on 26 July 2017 and after a legal battle between Unison and the Government, the Supreme Court decided that the fees are unlawful because they prevent access […]

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The Taylor Review (“Good Work: The Taylor Review on Modern Working Practices”) was published in July evaluating current employment status and workers’ rights, with the overriding aim that all work in the UK should be “fair and decent with a realistic scope for development and fulfilment.” A number of recommendations and proposals were set out […]

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On 6 April 2017, as a result of the Government’s review of youth unemployment and its ongoing promotion of apprenticeships, the Government is introducing an Apprenticeship Levy. Employers with a wage bill of £3 million per annum (or more) shall be required to report and make payment to HMRC of the levy. Calculation of the […]

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On 6 April 2017, the Gender Pay Gap Reporting Regulations will require businesses with more than 250 employees to calculate and publish the Gender Pay Gap between male and female employees. The introduction of the Gender Pay Gap Reporting is a further step towards equality and also transparency of wages and bonuses. Who does it […]

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Practical Tips for Deciding the Employment Status of your Staff Do you engage self-employed contractors? The issue of whether individuals are genuinely self-employed has been in the news on a number of occasions recently. In late 2016, the Employment Tribunal decided that drivers of Uber (a mobile phone app that connects private car hire drivers […]

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The statutory payments and Tribunal compensation limits will increase from April 2017 as follows: From 1 April 2017, the National Living Wage (National Minimum Wage) will increase as follows: For workers aged 25 and over – £7.50 For workers between 21 and 24 – £7.05 For workers between 18 and 20 – £5.60 For workers […]

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The decision of the British people to leave the EU came as something of a surprise to most. However, there is no need to panic! The foreseeable future – Business as usual Both the Leave and Remain campaigns were criticised for the lack of information provided and the scaremongering tactics used during the campaign trail. […]

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