02/12/20
Holiday pay over the festive period You will be aware that furloughed employees continue to accrue leave as per their employment contract. However, please note that businesses can only place employees on furlough in circumstances where coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting your operations.…
20/11/20
The Government has changed the deadlines for employers lodging furlough claims with HMRC. Claims from 1 November 2020 must be submitted by 11.59pm 14 calendar days after the month you are claiming for. Claim for furlough days in Claim must be submitted by…
17/11/20
In summer, the Government set out further details of the UK's points-based immigration system. The changes to the immigration system are set to completely overhaul the immigration system in the UK. The Immigration Bill continues its passage through Parliament and will provide the legal basis…
17/11/20
CASE UPDATE: The Board of Governors of IQRA Community Primary School (Respondent) Ms F Mansur (Claimant) Background Ms Mansur was a Teaching Assistant at the Respondent school. The Claimants initial claim was direct sex/race discrimination, and unfair dismissal. There were…
05/11/20
Just as we began to get our heads around the postponement of the Job Support Scheme (JSS) and the extension of the original Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) otherwise known as the "furlough scheme", Rishi Sunak has announced that the CJRS will now be extended until March 2021. What…
03/11/20
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), also known as the furlough scheme, has been extended following the Prime Minister's announcement on Saturday 31 October that England was due to enter into a second national lockdown as of Thursday, 5 November 2020. During the lockdown period, non-…
23/10/20
Given the strain currently on employers dealing with the vast array of challenges created by the ongoing pandemic, it is all too easy to neglect dealing with employment issues that would previously have been high on the priority list. In a world dominated by furlough, shielding, risk assessments,…
22/10/20
Big changes have just been announced by Rishi Sunak to the Job Support Scheme (JSS). The JSS is due to come into force in less than 2 weeks on 1 November 2020. As before, the JSS will be open to all small business and larger business who can show an impact on revenues and financial difficulty.…
21/10/20
The government has set out proposed changes to the requirements for transparency in supply chains under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. At present, certain commercial organisations must publish an annual statement setting out the steps they take to prevent modern slavery in their business and supply…
20/10/20
On 24 September 2020, the Chancellor announced the new Coronavirus Job Support Scheme (JSS), the successor to Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The new scheme is intended to support business who wish to retain their employees and avoid compulsory redundancies. As of 9 October 2020, the Chancellor…
06/10/20
The Job Retention Bonus aims to reduce the scope for compulsory redundancies by rewarding employers who retain their furloughed employees. The bonus is a fixed £1,000 one-off taxable payment, payable to the employer, for each eligible employee that was furloughed and kept continuously employed…
29/09/20
Following the Prime Ministers announcement on Tuesday 22 September and as of 12am on 28 September 2020, the Government have introduced new Coronavirus regulations, adopting a harsher approach to individual self-isolation and the obligations on an employer to encourage enforcement. The Health…
24/09/20
Rishi Sunak has today unveiled the Government's plan to protect jobs and support businesses over the coming months following the announcement earlier this week, which warned Britons that restrictions could be in place for the next 6 months. The Chancellor confirmed that the current Coronavirus…
23/09/20
The Government has announced new reforms to the Employment Tribunal Rules of Procedure 2013, with the aim of increasing the employment tribunals' capacity to hear claims and ensure a speedier resolution of cases for businesses and employees. The main driving force behind the reforms is the…
03/09/20
Summary of Facts in the case of K v L The Claimant in this case was a Teacher. He was accused by the police of being in possession of indecent images, which it appeared were downloaded to an IP address associated with the Claimant. The Claimant denied the allegations. Upon review of the evidence…
24/08/20
Below are a number of interesting and recent case law updates, on the issue of unfair dismissal, disability discrimination and equal pay, which you may find relevant to your organisation. Unfair dismissal 23 July 2020: Evans v London Borough of Brent UKEAT/0290/19 Update: The…
30/07/20
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has announced this morning (Thursday 30 July 2020) that it is bringing in a new law to ensure that all furloughed employees will receive Statutory Redundancy Payments calculated based on 100% of their normal pay, rather than their furlough…
08/07/20
Rishi Sunak has today addressed the House of Commons with his plan to kickstart the UK economy again and protect the jobs of workers. The measures proposed by Rishi Sunak include the following: Bonuses for businesses that bring back furloughed workers The Chancellor announced that the…
06/07/20
In Hill v Lloyds Bank plc, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) upheld the Tribunal's decision that it would have been a reasonable adjustment for the employer to promise the employee that she would not be required to work with two colleagues identified in this case that had a negative impact on her…
02/07/20
Have you gone far enough in regards to your obligations under the Equality Act 2010? There is no doubt that over the last quarter of the year you have lost sleep wondering if your business will survive the worldwide pandemic brought on by the spread of covid-19. The Government recently announced…
01/07/20
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep across the country and beyond, businesses in the manufacturing sector have faced significant operational challenges. Whilst some businesses have closed down operations completely in response to falling demand and/or government guidance, others operating…
25/06/20
Following the long-awaited announcement that businesses in the hospitality sector can prepare to reopen from 4 July 2020, the government has published lengthy guidance to address safe working within the 'visitor economy' during coronavirus. In terms of what is meant by 'visitor economy…
15/06/20
Key points to note · FFS can be implemented from 1 July 2020. · 31 July is the last date that claims can be submitted for June 2020 - unless employees are returning from a period of statutory leave such as maternity, paternity etc. · A single claim is capped by the…
12/06/20
On 29 May 2020, the Chancellor announced further updates to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ("Scheme") which included a cut-off date of 30 June 2020 for new furlough applications. For further details of the updates announced last month, please see our briefing summarising the changes to…
01/06/20
On 12 May 2020, the Chancellor announced that the CJRS (the Scheme) was extended until the end of October 2020, but that the Scheme would continue in the normal way up until 31 July 2020. The Chancellor proposed that from August 2020, employers would be required to share the proportion of the wage…
26/05/20
The use of social media by employers can be seen as a double-edged sword: if used correctly, it can be an invaluable tool and if mismanaged, it can potentially pose and result in significant reputational damage - in various ways. The latter was most recently illustrated on Sunday evening, when a…
14/05/20
Following the announcement made by Boris Johnson on Sunday, employers across the construction sector are being faced with the difficult task of determining what in practical terms a safe return to work looks like. The message is clear that construction should continue if it cannot be reasonably done…
14/05/20
The Government has recently produced guidance regarding holiday entitlement and the pay during coronavirus. The guidance has perhaps come slightly later than most employers would have hoped but thankfully there are no real surprises and is primarily clarifying issues that were already known. In…
11/05/20
How do you keep your workforce safe from a virus which has spread the globe on pandemic scales, leaving death and destruction in its wake? It is fair to say that last night's announcement has left those Britons desperately seeking respite from lockdown considerably underwhelmed but, now there…
04/05/20
An article published earlier today by the BBC highlights the difficulties for the Government and businesses in applying the emergency measures put in place to financially support individuals whose income and ability to work has been affected by Covid-19 restrictions. The article (which can be…
01/05/20
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that a Yodel delivery driver, did not have 'worker' status, in accordance with the Working Time Directive. It remains now for the Employment Tribunal to make the final decision on this case. The case was to be heard by Watford Employment…
27/04/20
In the midst of a global crisis, with the health of hundreds of thousands of people at risk, many losing their loved ones, job losses, business closures, families and friends separated for an uncertain amount of time, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the seemingly endless negative aspects of the…
15/04/20
The government has released two publications regarding the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) today. The headline is that the update extends the scheme to employees on PAYE on 19 March, as well as providing some additional guidance to employers. The key points include: · To…
14/04/20
The first judgment to consider the implications of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been published after being heard in the High Court. The Court held that the administrators of Carluccio's, a well-known restaurant chain, are able to place employees on the furlough scheme irrespective of…
09/04/20
As a reminder there are several employment law changes that came into force on 6 April 2020 - we summarise these below. The Government's Good Work Plan · Written statement of terms: workers rather than just employees now have the right to a written statement of particulars, which…
06/04/20
HMRC has, over the weekend, updated its guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The updated guidance has provided some clarity to previously uncertain areas and has also confirmed a number of issues that were otherwise assumed to be the case. It has however changed some of the…
03/04/20
Hey you cool cats and kittens, its James Barron from Forbes Solicitors here to give you an update on what employment law issues you can take away from the Netflix sensation Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. If you have not seen Tiger King it primarily follows Joe Exotic, the Tiger King…
01/04/20
The current virus pandemic has resulted in the implementation of unprecedented changes and restrictions all over the world. All sections of society have been affected to varying degrees, and it is a confusing and challenging time for employers. Employers that have been obliged to close their business…
27/03/20
The government have announced that workers who have not taken all of their statutory annual leave entitlement due to COVID-19 will now be able to carry it over into the next 2 leave years. This means that the: · Government are to amend regulations to allow annual leave to be carried…
26/03/20
What is it? The Coronavirus Act 2020, which received Royal Assent on 25 March 2020 introduces the concept of an "emergency volunteer". The Prime Minister's address on 25 March 2020 praised the reaction of the British public after it was announced that in excess of 500,000 people…
26/03/20
COVID-19 is resulting in difficult times for apprentices, employers and providers of apprenticeship training, creating unprecedented and unique challenges to the usual quality and delivery of apprenticeships. The government is continuing to provide support and assistance, seeing the Education and Skills…
25/03/20
The coronavirus outbreak has produced a lot of government action targeted at keeping infections down and that has in turn affected a lot of organisations, their contracts with each other and their plans for future procurement. For buyers subject to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR) or the…
19/03/20
The coronavirus bill has implemented emergency laws to contain the spread of COVID-19. The legislation covers areas such as the NHS, social care, schools, police, border force, local councils, funerals and courts. Today, 19 March 2020, the government have published the Emergency Coronavirus Bill to…
19/03/20
The present circumstances On 18 March 2020, the Lord Chancellor affirmed that "the rule of law is vital to a functioning democracy and even at times like these, it is essential that our independent courts are able to administer justice." Whilst many public places have either been…
18/03/20
In response to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 the Government has announced that the roll out of IR35 to the private sector shall be delayed until the spring of 2021 On 17 March 2020 the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Steve Barclay, announced to Parliament that "the government is postponing…
13/01/20
April tends to be a busy and stressful time of the year for many businesses who have the end of their financial year around this time, multiple employees on annual leave over the Easter holidays, together with changes to make in line with new legislation - particularly in respect of your employees…
06/01/20
As the Christmas blues settle in on 1 January 2020 and we all reflect on the amount of food and drink consumed over the festive period, now is the time to take on the first challenge of 2020 in what has become widely known as 'Veganuary'. This is a challenge that entails eating an entirely plant…
