New Judgment: Royal Mail Group Ltd v Efobi [2021] UKSC 33 – UKSC Blog

‘The Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed this appeal concerning two questions of law: (i) whether a change in the wording of equality legislation has altered the burden of proof in employment discrimination cases and (ii) when a tribunal may draw adverse inferences from the absence of a potential witness.’

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UKSC Blog, 23rd July 2021

Source: ukscblog.com

Ad men sacked to improve gender pay gap win sex discrimination claim – The Guardian

‘Two white male creative directors at a top London advertising agency have won a sex discrimination claim after a female director vowed to “obliterate” its Mad Men reputation of being full of straight, white men.’

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The Guardian, 23rd July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Disabled People’s Employment Are Being Affected by Inequalities – Each Other

‘Despite a pledge to get one million more disabled people into work, the disability employment gap has widened during the pandemic.’

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Each Other, 14th July 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Forstater v CGD Europe: when is a belief worthy of respect in a democratic society? – Parklane Plowden Chambers

‘Choudhry J’s judgment in Maya Forstater v CGD Europe is well-reasoned and clear, and repays reading in full for anyone interested in the difficult interplay between the rights of those with conflicting protected characteristics.’

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Parklane Plowden Chambers, 29th June 2021

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk

Indirect Discrimination Against Working Mothers – Littleton Chambers

‘On 22 June 2021, the President of the Employment Appeal Tribunal handed down judgment in Dobson v North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust UKEAT/0220/19/LA. CLICK HERE to read the judgment.’

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Littleton Chambers, 23rd June 2021

Source: littletonchambers.com

‘It just doesn’t stop!’ Do we need a new law to ban out-of-hours emails? – The Guardian

Posted June 29th, 2021 in coronavirus, electronic mail, employment, news, working time by sally

‘During the pandemic many workers have felt more under siege than ever from work emails that arrive at all hours. Could the legal right to disconnect help?’

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The Guardian, 29th June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

When volunteers and interns may acquire employment rights – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 28th, 2021 in contract of employment, employment, equality, news, remuneration, volunteers by sally

‘There is no legal definition of a “volunteer” or “intern” and no specific legislation covering employer-volunteer relationships. The extent of the rights that volunteers or interns may acquire is dependent on their legal status, meaning whether they are an “employee” or a “worker” or a genuine volunteer.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 25th June 2021

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Revise sickness policies ahead of UK winter flu – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 24th, 2021 in coronavirus, employment, flexible working, news, sick leave, vaccination by sally

‘UK employers should revise their sickness policies before an anticipated increase in seasonal flu cases this winter to ensure lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic are reflected, an employment law expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 23rd June 2021

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

What employees need to know about their rights during COVID – Oxford Human Rights Hub

Posted June 24th, 2021 in coronavirus, employment, flexible working, news, remuneration by sally

‘Since the start of the global COVID pandemic, many employees have experienced upheaval, uncertainty, and disruption within their jobs. Some employees have experienced worry about their own personal safety when they are present at their place of work. For others, being furloughed might have put their long-term career aspirations into doubt. With COVID restrictions now easing and the UK firmly following the roadmap out of lockdown, new questions are emerging about employee rights. However, it is important to remember that all employees still have significant rights during COVID.’

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Oxford Human Rights Hub, 21st June 2021

Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk

Uncertainties remain over UK’s IR35 rules – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 23rd, 2021 in employment, HM Revenue & Customs, news, remuneration, taxation by sally

‘Widespread changes to the UK’s IR35 off-payroll working rules came into force on 6 April 2021, and despite a 12-month delay to implementation, detailed HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) guidance and subsequent amendments to the legislation, areas of uncertainty remain.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 21st June 2021

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Giving staff legal right to work from home will ‘cause corporate chaos’, businesses warn – The Independent

‘Businesses have warned Boris Johnson’s government that any attempt to give employees the legal right to work from home would cause “chaos” in offices across the country.’

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The Independent, 17th June 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Beyond status: the long road towards effective health and safety rights for on-demand workers – by Aude Cefaliello – UK Labour Law

Posted June 17th, 2021 in brexit, casual workers, EC law, employment, health & safety, news by sally

‘Over the past months, there has been an alignment of stars between two major court rulings that have the potential to reshape the working lives of on-demand workers and the business model of platforms.’

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UK Labour Law, 16th June 2021

Source: uklabourlawblog.com

Employment status following the Uber Supreme Court case – Mills & Reeve

Establishing an individual’s employment rights can feel like a minefield, with varying degrees of obligations on the employer depending on the employment status. Earlier this year the Supreme Court upheld earlier decisions in the Employment Tribunal, Employment Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal that Uber drivers are “workers” of Uber for the purposes of employment rights, and not, as Uber argued, self-employed contractors each operating their own minicab business.

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Mills & Reeve, 14th June 2021

Source: www.mills-reeve.com

Can an individual be a ‘worker’ if they are not obliged to accept any work at all? – 3PB

Posted June 14th, 2021 in chambers articles, employment, employment tribunals, holiday pay, news by sally

‘The Nursing and Midwifery Council (‘NMC’) is the regulator of Nurses and Midwives in the UK. Pursuant to the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001, the NMC has a Fitness to Practise Committee (‘FTP’), which determines allegations of impairment of fitness to practise. The Claimant was appointed as a panel member and chair of the FTP for a four-year term on 16 April 2012. He was appointed for a further four-year term in April 2016.’

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3PB, 10th June 2021

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

News Woman wins appeal against losing job for tweets about transgender people – The Independent

‘A woman who lost her job after tweeting that men cannot change their biological sex has won her appeal against an employment tribunal.’

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The Independent, 10th June 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Anxious workers can wear headphones after discrimination ruling – Daily Telegraph

‘People with anxiety should be allowed to listen to music as they work, an employment tribunal has ruled.’

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Daily Telegraph, 10th June 2021

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Tribunal ‘deeply concerned’ by racism among Home Office contractors – The Guardian

‘An employment tribunal has said that it was “deeply concerned” about Home Office contractors who deport people from the UK having used the racist term “cotton pickers” to describe their black colleagues, but threw out a claim of race and disability discrimination.’

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The Guardian, 7th June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Workers watchdog launched to clamp down on abuse – BBC News

Posted June 8th, 2021 in employment, enforcement, forced labour, news, remuneration, sanctions by sally

‘The government has announced the creation of a new workers’ watchdog to take over protecting the rights of UK workers.’

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BBC News, 8th June 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tesco staff win legal argument in equal pay fight – BBC News

‘Thousands of current and former Tesco workers have won a legal argument in their fight for equal pay.’

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BBC News, 3rd June 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Number of Covid PI claims remains low “but potential for many more” – Litigation Futures

‘The number of personal injury claims relating to Covid-19 continues to be very low, despite the significant rise in infections over the winter, new figures have shown.’

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Litigation Futures, 3rd June 2021

Source: www.litigationfutures.com