Some employers treat their staff disgracefully but, no matter how bad their conduct may be, the objective of the tribunal system is not to punish them but to compensate those who suffer at their hands. A case on point concerned an immigrant worker who was
Judges spend long hours listening to dense evidence and argument, and they would be superhuman if they did not occasionally nod off. As an employment case showed, however, the consequences of sleepy-headedness can be grave if it affects the fairness of proceedings. The case concerned
Few would fail to appreciate the irony of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) being embroiled in a dispute with a trade union representing its own employees. However, the falling out provided the occasion for an important test case on the extent to which
Employers are reminded that new National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates apply from 1 April 2019. These are as follows: The NLW, which applies to those aged 25 and over, will increase from £7.83 to £8.21 per hour; The NMW for
One of the golden rules of litigation is that issues to be resolved must be established at the outset so that all sides understand the case they have to meet. That sadly did not happen in an employment case in which an airport worker who
Confidentiality clauses have a right and proper place in the employment context. They can be used primarily in two ways – either as part of an employment contract, where there is a need to protect business secrets for example, or as part of a settlement
Following changes introduced by the Immigration (Restrictions on Employment) (Code of Practice and Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2018, the Home Office has issued a revised ‘Code of practice on preventing illegal working: Civil penalty scheme for employers’. This sets out the document checks prescribed by the
There is a clear public interest in those who work with children or vulnerable adults being required to submit to criminal record checks – but how old, or minor, do their convictions have to be in order to be exempt from disclosure? The Supreme Court
Online taxi company Uber has failed to convince the Court of Appeal that drivers who make use of its app are self-employed contractors, rather than ‘workers’ within the meaning of the Employment Rights Act 1996. However, in a rare move, the company has been granted
Workplace disciplinary proceedings are always tense and it is vital to remember that their reasonableness is likely to be examined in detail by Employment Tribunals (ETs) after the event. In a case on point, a carpenter who was sacked after being accused of describing gay
