Employment UK

  • December 19, 2024

    Lawyers Warn Skeletal Zero-Hours Contract Ban May Backfire

    A proposed reform to crack down on exploitative zero-hours contracts is so vaguely drafted that it is unworkable and risks backfiring on its aim to provide more stability for workers, lawyers and industry groups say.

  • December 18, 2024

    Manager Unfairly Fired After Exposing Fraud At Leeds Charity

    A charity worker has won her unfair dismissal case after an employment tribunal ruled higher-ups at a charity based in Leeds demoted and then fired her for sharing confidential information about colleagues without properly investigating the claims.

  • December 18, 2024

    Tech Biz Unfairly Fired CEO For Whistleblowing On China Deal

    A British semiconductor company unfairly sacked its chief executive after he blew the whistle on the risks of relocating the company's headquarters to China in return for investment, a tribunal has ruled.

  • December 18, 2024

    Children's Home Worker Wins Penis Stereotype Claim

    A children's home must pay its former employee more than £16,000 ($20,300) after his manager used a derogatory racial slur in front of him and brought him into a conversation about the stereotype of Black men having large penises.

  • December 18, 2024

    Gov't Urged To Pause State Pension Reform Before Review

    The government must pause any further policy decisions on the state pension until it carries out its review into retirement savings adequacy, experts told lawmakers Wednesday.

  • December 18, 2024

    Pension Bodies Call For Regulation After Court Ruling

    The government should issue regulation to clarify the scope of a landmark Court of Appeal ruling that could potentially cost pension providers billions of pounds in redress, a coalition of trade bodies has said.

  • December 17, 2024

    UK's IPO Fails To Improve Persistent Pay Gap For Women

    U.K. officials revealed on Tuesday that male workers at the Intellectual Property Office made 27% more than their female colleagues in the last year, marking almost no improvement over the past three years.

  • December 17, 2024

    Cabinet Office Staffer Revives Job Grading Race Bias Claim

    A Cabinet Office employee who identifies as Romani has revived her discrimination claim over the grading of her role, persuading an appeals judge on Tuesday to overturn an earlier decision to throw out her case.

  • December 17, 2024

    Gov't Ignores Calls For Redress Over State Pension Failings

    The Labour government said on Tuesday it will not compensate women affected by historical failures to inform them that their retirement age had changed, in a move campaigners called an "unprecedented political choice" set to have long-term repercussions.

  • December 17, 2024

    Mothercare Manager Wins Maternity Bias, Unfair Sacking Case

    A manager at the retailer Mothercare has won her claims for unfair dismissal and maternity discrimination after a tribunal found senior staff at the company scrapped her role to replace her with the freelancer hired to cover her maternity leave.

  • December 17, 2024

    MPs Quiz Gov't Over Pension Credit Delays

    Lawmakers are asking the government what it is doing to tackle a deluge of pension credit claims, amid fears that those below the poverty line might not receive a winter fuel allowance this season.

  • December 17, 2024

    MI5 Wins Case Against Lawyer Accused Of Being Chinese Spy

    A solicitor accused of being a Chinese spy has lost her legal challenge against MI5, after a tribunal found Tuesday that the U.K. security service acted lawfully when it warned parliamentarians that she was trying to interfere with the political process.

  • December 17, 2024

    Osborne Clarke Pro Denies Trying To Block Zahawi Scrutiny

    A partner with Osborne Clarke LLP who represented Nadhim Zahawi has denied trying to prevent the former Conservative chancellor from facing scrutiny over his tax affairs by sending an allegedly threatening letter to a blogger, as he testified at a disciplinary tribunal on Tuesday.

  • December 17, 2024

    Uni Manager Wins £33K For Mental Health Discrimination

    A sacked university manager has won £32,700 ($41,500) after persuading a tribunal that her mental health was the reason bosses made her redundant and has also proved that the institution discriminated against her.

  • December 17, 2024

    UK To Compensate Postmasters For Pre-Horizon IT Errors

    Postmasters affected by accounting errors dating from before the Horizon IT scandal will be awarded compensation, the government said on Tuesday.

  • December 16, 2024

    Black Job Applicant Revives Race Bias Claim Against Gov't

    A London appellate court has ruled that the government must face a Caribbean job applicant's race bias claims once more, concluding that he filed late only because officials didn't give him crucial information for months.

  • December 16, 2024

    Gov't Drops Promise Of 2nd Pensions Review By End Of 2024

    Millions of Britons could face retirement without sufficient savings, experts said Monday, after the government appeared to delay its long-awaited review into pension adequacy.

  • December 16, 2024

    Police Officer Wins Claim Over Disability Accommodations

    A police officer with fibromyalgia has partially won her claim alleging that the force failed to make adequate adjustments to her working conditions to assist her chronic pain and fatigue condition after her manager branded her a "troublemaker."

  • December 16, 2024

    Post Office 'Hasn't Changed' Despite Scandal, Lawyers Say

    The attitude of the Post Office has not been reformed from the "corporate psychopathy" its lawyers exhibited throughout the Horizon IT scandal, a barrister representing former postmasters told the three-year-long inquiry in closing submissions on Monday.

  • December 16, 2024

    Osborne Clarke Pro Accused Of 'Abusive' SLAPP Threat

    An Osborne Clarke LLP partner who represented Nadhim Zahawi faced a disciplinary tribunal on Monday over allegations that he sent an intimidatory letter in an attempt to silence a critic who was investigating the former Conservative chancellor's tax affairs.

  • December 16, 2024

    Squire Patton Guides £102M Pension Deal For Chemicals Co.

    A British chemicals manufacturer has offloaded £102 million ($129 million) of its pension liabilities with insurer Royal London, advisers said Monday, in a transaction steered by Squire Patton Boggs.

  • December 16, 2024

    Gov't Approves £3.6B Royal Mail Sale To Czech Tycoon

    A conglomerate controlled by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský said Monday that its planned £3.6 billion ($4.5 billion) purchase of Royal Mail's parent has moved a step closer to delivery after the U.K. government approved it — with several conditions.

  • December 13, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen a group of franchise operators hit Vodafone with a £120 million ($151 million) claim for allegedly imposing commission cuts, green energy tycoon Dale Vince pursue another libel action against the publisher of the Daily Mail, and parcel delivery giant Yodel face a claim by an investor that helped save it from collapse earlier in the year.

  • December 13, 2024

    Director Wins 2nd Shot At Sex Discrimination Claim

    A former sales director at a candle company has revived claims that bosses discriminated against her by offering a lower-paying job, with an appellate tribunal ruling her claims had been nixed without consideration of how a male worker would be treated.

  • December 13, 2024

    Gov't Urged To Go Further On Local Pension Reforms

    The U.K. government's proposed plan to pool assets in the highly fragmented Local Government Pension Scheme has a good motive but requires more detail to ensure the floated reforms work successfully, the consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock said Friday.

Expert Analysis

  • Unpacking The Rwanda Policy Appeal Decision

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    The Court of Appeal recently declared the U.K. government's Rwanda policy unlawful in AAA v. Secretary of State, but given that this was only on the basis that Rwanda is not currently a safe third country, it is possible that the real risk of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights breaches will be obviated, says Alex Papasotiriou at Richmond Chambers.

  • Opinion

    Why Menstrual Leave Policies May Be Counterproductive

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    Efforts to introduce U.K. standards on leave for menstruation, which in practice has been narrowly applied, may be distracting focus from pay gap and family rights laws, and robust sick leave policies that may be more relevant to tackling gender equality in the workplace, say Sean Nesbitt and Sophie Davidson at Taylor Wessing.

  • Opinion

    UK Noncompete Cap Will Not Grow Business As Intended

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    The U.K. government's recent response to its 2020 consultation on restrictive covenants has not given any obvious consideration to the position of employers, as there is no evidence supporting its proposition that limiting noncompetes to three months will assist recruitment and help employees find new jobs at often higher pay, says David Whincup at Squire Patton.

  • Workplace Neurotech Requires A Balance Of Risk And Reward

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    The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office's recently released a report on neurotech, and while such technologies could unlock a stubbornly low productivity stagnation, they pose employer data compliance questions and potential employee discrimination risks, say Ingrid Hesselbo and Ben Milloy at Fladgate.

  • ITV Scandal Offers Important Considerations On HR Policies

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    The recent resignation of former ITV host Phillip Schofield after admitting to an affair with a younger staff member raises questions on employers' duty of care and highlights the need for not only having the right internal policies in place but also understanding and applying them, says Hina Belitz at Excello Law.

  • What The Italian Whistleblowing Decree Means For Employers

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    The new Italian whistleblowing decree, guidelines to which must be adopted by authorities this week, represents a major milestone in protecting employees by broadening employers' obligations, and it is essential that multinational companies with an interest in Italy verify their compliance with the more stringent requirements, say lawyers at Studio Legale Chiomenti.

  • What TPR's Guidance On DEI Means For Pensions Industry

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    The Pension Regulator is one of the first regulators to issue guidance on equality, diversity and inclusion, and employers and trustees should incorporate its advice by developing policies and monitoring progress to ensure that improvements are made regularly, say lawyers at Linklaters.

  • 10 Tips On Drafting A Company Code Of Ethics

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    In light of a recent report that less than 50% of companies on the FTSE 250 and 350 indexes have a code of ethics, it is clear that more organizations should be informed of the reasons for having one, like reducing risk and solidifying commitment to integrity, and how to implement it, says Shiv Haria-Shah at Fieldfisher.

  • Breaking Down Germany's New Whistleblower Protection Act

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    Germany recently passed a whistleblowing law, which will bring new obligations for companies, and businesses with more than 50 employees must now check whether they have adequate reporting lines in place and properly staffed functions to handle whistleblower reports, say Mark Zimmer and Katharina Humphrey at Gibson Dunn.

  • UK Case Shows Risks Of Taking Shortcuts In Fund Payments

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    While the High Court recently reversed a decision in Floreat Investment Management v. Churchill, finding that investors routing funds into their own accounts was not dishonest, the case serves as a cautionary tale on the dangers of directing investment funds other than as contractually provided, say lawyers at Dechert.

  • How The UK Employment Court Backlogs Jeopardize Justice

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    While employment tribunal case delays may not top the agenda of new Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk, recent data reveals deep and long-term issues, including a staggering half a million current or former employees waiting for their case to trudge forward in the queue, says Heather Wilmot at ARAG.

  • A First Look At UK's Reform Approach To EU Employment Law

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    The U.K. government's recent proposal on EU employment laws is relatively modest, retaining the post-Brexit law in areas such as recording working hours and holiday pay calculations, and assuaging predictions of a bonfire of EU employment rights, say Sally Hulston and James Davies at Lewis Silkin.

  • How The UK Noncompete Cap Proposal May Affect Employers

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    Following the U.K. government's plan to limit noncompete clauses to three months, employers will undoubtedly look at other options to prevent post-employment competition, such as use of garden leave, but this may keep employees out of the talent pool, say David Samuels and Tarun Tawakley at Lewis Silkin.

  • Employers Should Welcome UK Guidance On Positive Action

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    Recent guidance from the U.K. government clarifies the often overlooked and misunderstood concept of positive action under the Equality Act 2010, and may help employers feel more confident in using permitted conduct to promote equality, say lawyers at Fieldfisher.

  • Lessons For Businesses From The Raab Bullying Report

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    In light of the inquiry into workplace bullying that led to last month’s resignation of U.K. government minister Dominic Raab, businesses must ensure that they and their managers adhere to company policies, procedures and processes, and remain vigilant in stamping out and preventing such behaviors, says Suzy Blade at Setfords.

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