As the role of Labour’s new ‘Fair Work Agency’ (as it will be called) begins to take shape, it appears to be much more significant than we initially thought. What will the role of the Fair Work Agency be? The Amendment Paper, published last week, outlines the scope of the Fair Work Agency’s (FWA) role:… [Read More]

The current legal position on collective redundancy: Change under the Employment Rights Bill This all looks increasingly likely to change under the Employment Rights Bill, which is currently being debated in the House of Lords. The Government recently published its response to its consultation on strengthening remedies against abuse of rules on collective redundancy and… [Read More]

The recent Court of Appeal judgment in Hewston v Ofsted serves as a reminder to employers of the importance of using policies to set clear workplace standards. Hewston v Ofsted In this case, an experienced Ofsted inspector with a clean disciplinary record, was dismissed after touching a pupil’s forehead and shoulder to remove rainwater. Touching… [Read More]

April marks the month each year where changes to statutory rates come into force. Most rate changes take effect from 6th April (to align with the start of the new tax year). National minimum wage changes take effect from 1st April. The statutory rates for family leave, sick pay, redundancy and the cap on unfair… [Read More]

In a landmark ruling that has sparked widespread discussion, the UK Supreme Court has confirmed that the word “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 (EA 2010) refers to biological sex, not gender identity. This means that for legal purposes under this Act, a “woman” is someone who was born female — even if a trans… [Read More]