Be Aware UK

Unlocking pension surplus: What employers need to know about the new DB scheme reforms

At a glance The UK Government has confirmed that it will be introducing greater flexibility for defined benefit (DB) pension schemes to share surplus funds with scheme employers and beneficiaries. This will be welcome news for employers that may wish to use surplus assets to invest in the business, reduce debt or improve other employee […]

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UK Immigration White Paper 2025: What employers need to know

16 May 2025 / immigration, sponsored workers / Employment, Immigration

On Monday 12 May 2025, the Government published its long-awaited white paper, containing a blueprint for significant changes to the UK immigration system. These changes are a proposed government policy, and require further legislation before becoming law. We have summarised the changes and key points for UK employers below. Overview The white paper, entitled ‘Restoring

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EHRC issues interim guidance on practical implications of Supreme Court case

28 April 2025 / diversity, inclusion, transgender / Employment

Recently, we highlighted the Supreme Court’s decision in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers which ruled on the meaning of ‘woman’, ‘man’ and ‘sex’, for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 (EqA). Please click here for our earlier article. This case has received widespread attention and raised a significant number of practical

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Supreme Court rules that meaning of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex

16 April 2025 / discrimination, gender reassignment, gender recognition certificate, sex / Employment

In a judgment handed down today, For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers the Supreme Court has determined the meaning of ‘man’, ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 as referring to biological sex, not acquired or certificated sex under a Gender Recognition Certificate. Background The appeal arose in the context of a

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Expansion of illegal working regime to gig economy

14 April 2025 / Immigration, Reform

On 30 March 2025, the UK Home Office announced that businesses will soon be legally required to carry out right to work checks on everyone working in their name. This change will bring gig economy and zero-hours workers in line with other employees, with civil penalties being imposed on businesses that hire illegal self-employed contractors

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Call for evidence: New equality laws on the horizon?

10 April 2025 / discrimination, equal pay, equality, pay transparency, sexual harassment / Employment

The government is seeking evidence and views on areas of equality policy to help better understand how the law is working in practice and on areas of possible equality law reform. The call for evidence will help shape the measures included in the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill and the Employment Rights Bill. The equality

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April employment law changes

1 April 2025 / employment law reform / Employment

The following changes come into effect in early April 2025: National minimum wage (NMW) The new NMW rates which will apply from 1 April 2025 are as follows: Rate From 1 April 2025 National Living Wage age 21+ £12.21 Age 18-20 £10.00 Age 16-17 £7.55 Apprentice rate £7.55 Accommodation offset £10.66 Neonatal care leave

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Employment practices under competition law scrutiny: UK’s CMA fines companies for sharing information about freelancer rates

25 March 2025 / competition, labour market / Employment

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued updates on its decisions in two parallel investigations into suspected anti-competitive behaviour in relation to freelance labour in the production and broadcasting of sports content (where it issued an infringement decision) and freelance and employed labour in the production, creation and / or broadcasting of television

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UK Immigration update: immigration fees, UK ETA and eVisa update and the care sector

20 March 2025 / digitalised immigration, immigration / Immigration

At a glance Immigration fees: From 9 April 2025, ETA fees will increase by 60% to £16. Sponsor licence fees will rise by 7%, and the cost of assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship will increase by 120% to £525. UK ETA update: From 2 April 2025, all non-visa nationals must have UK Electronic Travel Authorisation

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Consultation launched on ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers

20 March 2025 / disability pay gap reporting, Employment Rights Bill, Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, ethnicity pay gap reporting, pay gap reporting / Employment

Eight months after the King’s Speech announced the government’s intention to introduce compulsory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers (ie those with 250+ employees), the government has published a consultation paper seeking views on its proposal. The measures will ultimately form part of the upcoming Equality (Race and Disability) Bill. The consultation

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Employment Rights Bill enters next stage: Responses to consultation and amendments

4 March 2025 / employment contracts, employment law reform, employment law reforms, Employment Rights Bill, redundancy, SSP; statutory sick pay / Employment

Today the government published its responses to 5 consultation papers on aspects of the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) and put forward amendments to the ERB following consultation with businesses and trade unions. Increased penalties for collective redundancy breaches The maximum protective award for failure to collectively inform and consult on collective redundancies will increase from

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A clash of beliefs: The Higgs v Farmor’s School case

12 February 2025 / belief, discrimination, manifestation, philosophical belief, religion / Employment

The Court of Appeal’s decision in Higgs v Farmor’s School is the latest case in the arena of competing workplace rights, following the prominent judgments in the claims brought by Maya Forstater and David Mackereth, highlighting the difficulties employers can face in striking the delicate balance between conflicting opinions. This case underscores the importance of

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Neonatal care leave and pay to be in force from 6 April 2025

21 January 2025 / employment law reform, family friendly rights, neonatal care leave / Employment

The government has laid regulations before Parliament to bring into force the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 with effect from 6 April 2025, nearly two years after the legislation received Royal Assent. Neonatal Care Leave will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days old and who have

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The Future of Work: Insights into the new Employment Rights Bill: #6 Industrial action

19 December 2024 / employment law reform, Employment Right Bill, industrial action, trade unions / Employment

Labour’s Plan To Make Work Pay, published before the election in May, stated: “Labour will update trade union legislation, so it is fit for a modern economy, removing unnecessary restrictions on trade union activity and ensuring industrial relations are based around good faith negotiation and bargaining. This will end the Conservatives’ scorched-earth approach to industrial

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The Future of Work: Insights into the new Employment Rights Bill: #5 Trade union recognition and organising

5 December 2024 / collective bargaining, employment law reform, statutory recognition, trade unions / Employment

In the latest of our articles taking an in-depth look at aspects of the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) we focus on the provisions which strengthen and simplify the law on trade union organising and recognition, which include: Introducing a duty on employers to inform workers of their right to join a trade union. Strengthening trade

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