Union’s new hit squad challenges umbrella companies
The union Unite has launched a tribunal appeal targeting umbrella companies, the first under its new Strategic Case Unit. The case involves Unite member Russ Blakely, who worked as a pipefitter on an NHS funded project last year. The main contractor for the project was Kier Fascel was the mechanical contractor. Background to the case […]
Think tank recommends changes to sick pay
A new think tank report suggests statutory sick pay should increase from 28 weeks to 52 weeks. In a bid to cut the sickness benefit bill from £23 billion, the report also recommends employees be allowed to take ‘wellbeing days’ off work, at very short notice. Tackling the sickness bill The report, by the Institute […]
Uber granted right to appeal last year’s ruling
Cab firm Uber has been given permission to appeal a ruling made in 2016, that its drivers have worker status. The Employment Appeal Tribunal will determine whether the Uber drivers are ‘workers’, and therefore entitled to receive the National Minimum Wage and holiday pay. Background to the Uber case Two drivers originally brought the case […]
Employers increase salaries and benefits to attract staff
At least four in 10 employers have raised some salaries in the hope of attracting suitable candidates, according to a survey by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation. The survey of 600 bosses revealed that 80% had re-advertised a role after failing to recruit anyone. Furthermore, 24% said they’d had to lower job requirements in order […]
Employment tribunal awards compensation to ex-BHS employees
Former BHS staff have won significant compensation for their employer’s failure to consult with them. The London tribunal concluded that the company had failed to consult on the employees’ dismissal, and awarded 110 BHS head office staff up to 90 days’ wages each. The company should have followed the correct redundancy process. Despite BHS going […]
Dealing with politics in the workplace
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of a general election on 8 June, how should employers tackle political campaigning at work? It’s inevitable that discussions between employees will at some point turn to the general election. Some will have very strong views, which could lead to tension. When politics and the workplace mix, it can cause […]
Grammar error costs dairy company millions
A simple missing comma recently earned some U.S. truck drivers a substantial payout from their employer. Oakhurst Dairy lost a multi-million-dollar court case over the ‘Oxford comma’, used between the last two items in a list. The drivers were suing their employer for four years’ worth of unpaid overtime that they argued the company owed […]
Challenges of remote working highlighted in BBC interview
The challenges of remote working were perfectly highlighted during a recent BBC discussion on South Korea, when the interviewee’s two young children unexpectedly interrupted the interview. Robert Kelly, an associate professor at Pusan National University in Busan, had been answering serious questions via Skype on the ejection of the country’s president. However, suddenly a toddler came […]
Prime minister delays tax rise for self-employed
Prime minister Theresa May has agreed to delay controversial legislation that would have increased national insurance contributions for self-employed people. Her announcement comes after a number of senior MPs publicly criticised the government over the proposals. But delaying the vote until the autumn has sparked suggestions that the government are simply trying to soften the […]
Employment tribunal decisions now available online
Members of the public can now view employment tribunal decisions in England, Scotland and Wales on the Government’s website. Before this new service was launched, people could only view employment tribunal decisions if they personally attended the offices in Bury St Edmunds for Welsh and English decisions, or Glasgow for Scottish decisions. Decisions available to […]
Italy considering trialling four-day working week
To help tackle Italy’s growing unemployment, councillors have put their support behind proposals to introduce a four-day week. The proposals will cut the working week from 40 to 32 hours. This, councillors claim, would create around 200,000 jobs by introducing new job roles in a variety of industries and provide work for the country’s 160,000 […]
Court rejects firm’s appeal for its plumbers to have self-employed status
The gig economy remains firmly under the spotlight as Pimlico Plumbers loses its fight over the classification of its workers. Gary Smith worked as a plumber for Pimlico Plumbers for six years. He won an employment tribunal that challenged the company’s opinion that he worked for them as a self-employed contractor. The company had […]
Female employment at all-time high
Female employment is the highest on record, with wage growth rising at its fastest pace in over a year. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the three months from the end of August last year saw 69.9% of 16 to 64-year-old women in work. This compares to 69.1% a year earlier, and the […]
What’s the future of the gig economy?
Following the recent employment tribunals of City Sprint, Uber and Deliveroo workers, what is the future of the gig economy? For several years, the gig economy and self-employment in the UK has seen a steady rise. Self-employed people make up about 15% of the UK workforce. Between July and September 2016, an extra 213,000 people […]
Companies speed up the recruitment process
Nearly half of companies have shortened their recruitment times so they can get staff in post much quicker. Research by Totaljobs reveals that 46% of employers have streamlined their hiring procedures to make it easier to find good candidates and get them in post quickly. They were also concerned that candidates were put off […]
Tribunal win for City Sprint courier
A courier has won her tribunal against City Sprint, which will likely have huge repercussions on the industry. The tribunal agreed that the courier should have worker status. A self-employed person does not have rights to sick pay, paid holidays and receive the national living wage. But with worker status, they could expect the same […]
French employees have legal right not to check emails outside work
From 1 January 2017, employees in France will have the legal right to ‘disconnect’ from work while out of hours. French employers will have to guarantee that their workers have a ‘right to disconnect’ from technology. Companies with over 50 workers will have to outline when it’s acceptable for staff to be offline outside the […]
Southern Rail strike
Southern Rail bosses have made a direct appeal to drivers to end the strike action that’s costing the UK £300m. The firm sent letters to over 1,000 drivers outlining their improved offer in a bid to end the ongoing dispute. The unions have already dismissed the same offer. The train operator’s parent company GTR, promises […]
Brexit fears blamed for fall in UK employment
Employment has fallen for the first time in over a year as fears over Brexit start affecting the jobs market. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the employment rate slipped from a record high of 74.5% to 74.4%. The first drop since February to April 2015. Some experts suggest that the labour market […]
British Airways crew vote to strike over Christmas
People travelling with British Airways over Christmas could see their plans disrupted after 2,000 cabin crew vote for strike action. Around 15% of the airline’s cabin crew were balloted about striking at Heathrow airport and around 79% voted for the action. The vote came after cabin crew rejected a proposed 2% pay rise. Unite union […]
