Collective Bargaining Stalemate? – Tribunal finds employer’s direct approach to employees unlawful

Employers who recognise a trade union for the purposes of collective bargaining should be aware of a recent tribunal decision which may significantly  impact on their ability to implement contract variations where union negotiations reach a stalemate. The s.145B conundrum This is due to a little-known section of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) […]

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Trade Union Act 2016 major provisions coming into force 1 March

The major provisions of the Trade Union Act 2016 will come into force on 1 March 2017. The Trade Union Act 2016 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional) Regulations 2017 will bring into force the following provisions: The 50% turnout requirement for all industrial action ballots (section 2 of the 2016 Act which amends section 226

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Court of Appeal decides “self-employed” plumber has worker status

Employment status is shaping up to be one of the hot employment law topics for 2017.   Early February and we already have a Court of Appeal judgment on the subject.  Today, the Court of Appeal decided,  in the case of Pimlico Plumbers Ltd v Smith,  that a plumber, who was engaged as a “self-employed operative”, 

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Brexit: Supreme Court holds that an Act of Parliament is necessary before UK Government can trigger Article 50

The UK Supreme Court today held by a margin of 8 judges to 3 that the UK Government cannot trigger the UK’s exit from the European Union without an Act of Parliament. It also held unanimously that UK ministers were not legally compelled to consult the devolved legislatures before triggering Article 50. Click here for

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Immigration Act 2016: New provisions now in force

The Immigration Act 2016 represents a significant milestone in immigration regulation creating additional duties and responsibilities on individuals and businesses. Immigration is increasingly under the spotlight and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future so it is therefore vital for employers to be fully aware of their responsibilities to effectively manage their risk.  Key features

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Gender pay reporting regulations published, to come into force 6 April 2017

The Government has today published the revised draft Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017, which are intended to come into force on 6 April 2017. Under the regulations, employers employing 250 or more employees will be required to publish information about the gender pay gap in their organisation. The original draft regulations

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Brexit: Update on the future of ECJ employment case law and directly effective employment rights

As we have reported previously,  the Government’s position in relation to the future of workers’ rights is that, through the mechanism of the “Great Repeal Bill”,  the UK’s EU derived employment laws will remain in place at Brexit and that workers’ existing rights will continue to be guaranteed in law.   This has been confirmed by

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High Court hears legal challenge to Government triggering Article 50 to leave the EU

The High Court has heard 3 days of argument in legal proceedings brought by a group of individuals seeking to determine whether the UK Government has the legal power to trigger the Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union process to leave the EU without an Act of Parliament. A number of British

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Pay issues remain in the spotlight for employers

In recent times, pay issues have never been far from the spotlight. The Government’s proposals to introduce mandatory gender pay gap reporting have run alongside some high profile litigation relating to equal pay.   Although the concepts of gender pay gaps and equal pay are different, both place important obligations on employers and give rise to

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Brexit timing clarified: employment law set to continue intact

The Conservative Party Conference has provided Theresa May, and her Government, with an opportunity to publicise their plans for the timing of Brexit. In her speech to the Conference on 2 October,  the Prime Minster announced that – Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty will be invoked by the end of March 2017, triggering the

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Holiday pay must include results-based commission: Court of Appeal decision in Lock v British Gas

The Court of Appeal has confirmed in its decision today in Lock v British Gas that holiday pay must include a representative element of results-based commission. The Court did not comment, however, on whether the 12 week reference period adopted by the tribunal for calculating the commission element was correct in all cases, and indicated

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