Update September 2024 The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 (the Tips Act) and its accompanying statutory Code of Practice will come into force on 1st October 2024. This was confirmed by commencement regulations for the Act and Code of Practice which were laid before Parliament in July. The Code recommends consultation with workers in… [Read More]
What ‘banter’ is reasonable in the workplace?
Employers are faced with an unenviable task when tackling ‘banter’ in the workplace. There is always a fine line between banter and potential bullying and harassment. Any notion of banning ‘banter’ altogether is unlikely to be sustainable, or well received, in practice. In-jokes and ‘friendly banter’ are, to an extent, human nature and an important… [Read More]
Supreme Court holds that UK trade union law is incompatible with Human Rights law
The Supreme Court was recently asked to consider whether s146 Trade Union & Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULRCA) protected striking workers from ‘detriment short of dismissal.” Why was the Supreme Court involved? An employee was suspended on basic pay (resulting in a loss of overtime pay) and given a written warning after she was… [Read More]
Marks and Spencer raises the bar for maternity, paternity and adoption benefits
Retailer Marks and Spencer has made a significant investment in its employees by improving its maternity, paternity and adoption benefits, far exceeding the legal requirements. Starting in April 2024, the chain has introduced six weeks of paternity leave at full pay and has doubled its maternity and adoption leave to 26 weeks at full pay. What are… [Read More]
Tribunal finds that suggesting someone is ‘playing the race card’ is race discrimination
A former British Army musician has been successful in a claim for race discrimination. In the case, a black Rastafarian French Horn player in the Grenadier Guards was denied entry to his barracks while wearing civilian clothing by a guard who did not initially believe he was a soldier. He returned in uniform to discuss… [Read More]
