Recently, the BBC spent £500,000 defending an unfair dismissal claim against its former chief technology officer, after being offered to settle the case for £50,000. The sum of almost £500,00 did not include damages paid to the claimant, which were reported to be nearly £80,000. Here, we look at the key things an Employer should […]
Ikea and Wessex Water are the latest large companies to announce a pay cut in sick pay for unvaccinated workers. Employers across all sectors have faced vast staff shortages as a result of the Omicron variant. This has placed great strain on productivity and profitability and employers are looking for solutions to mitigate the damage. In […]
Employment disputes at work arise from time to time. When an employment dispute first materialises if it is handled quickly, pragmatically and appropriately, often a solution can be found which meets the satisfaction and needs of both the employer and employee. An employment dispute could arise for several reasons. Employees may have concerns over pay […]
Employment tribunals are specialist employment ‘courts’. A tribunal comprises up to three people. The employment judge will be legally qualified, and there may be two lay members, one of whom has been chosen as an employee representative and the other as an employer representative. The purpose of the employment tribunal is for it to make […]
Under Employment Law, employees must have worked continuously for two years before they acquire full employment rights, also known as the “qualifying period” or the “two-year rule”. Unless there are outstanding circumstances, temporary workers on a fixed term are entitled to the same working conditions as their permanent employee counterparts after 12 weeks in the […]
There are times during any business’s lifetime where the organisation may require restructure or may need to reduce staffing levels. Any restructuring and redundancy process is tough for both employers and employees alike. After all, both restructuring and redundancy involve change and change makes people feel unsettled. As per employment law, employers are legally required […]
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) must pay out nearly £400,000 after a Cardiff woman won her claim for race and age discrimination. Anne Giwa-Amu, who is of Nigerian and Welsh descent, started at the Caerphilly branch of the DWP as an administration officer. She was the only non-white recruit and only trainee over […]
A tribunal has, for the first time, ruled that ethical veganism is a “philosophical belief” and so is a protected characteristic in law. Under the Equality Act 2010, there are nine protected characteristics. These include characteristics such as age, sexual orientation, race and, most notable to this recent ruling, religion or belief. The landmark case […]
An 88-year-old medical secretary has become the oldest person to ever win an age discrimination case, following her dismissal from the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust. Eileen Jolly was fired from her role at the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust in January 2017, aged 86. Her colleagues told bosses that they were concerned by her age and […]
How is compensation assessed in discrimination claims? When an Employment Tribunal is assessing the amount of compensation that may be awarded in a discrimination claim, they take into account the ‘injury to feelings’ caused by the discriminatory act. This is to remedy for any hurt or humiliation caused to the claimant by the employer or […]
