Labour’s New Deal for Working People
The New Deal is aimed at improving the lives of working people by strengthening their individual and collective labour rights. The authors examine the more radical concepts.
Labour’s promises include:
banning zero hours contracts;
removing the qualifying period for certain employment law rights;
banning ‘fire and rehire’;
introducing collectively bargained fair pay agreements;
introducing a right to switch off; and
trade union reform
Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023
The Government has recently passed the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 and it will come into force on 26 October 2024. In short, it creates a new, proactive statutory duty on all employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
Any failure to do so will result in an increase of up to 25% in the amount of compensation awarded to an employee who brings a successful claim for sexual harassment under the Equality Act 2010.
The zero hours contract
In the first of a series of articles exploring some of the Labour Party's new policies in the area of employment law, Daniel Wise, founder of boutique City law firm Osborne Wise looks at the proposal to 'ban zero hours contracts' and how this might work in practice.
The Future of Flexibility
Flexible working is more than a trend; it’s a fundamental shift in how we think abut work and life balance. Our colleague, Daniel Wise, recently joined Anna Whitehouse (aka Mother Pukka) on her insightful podcast to delve into this topic. The discussion is rich with practical insights and experiences that are invaluable for anyone interested in the future of work.
Avoiding Mistakes in Gross Misconduct Dismissals
Extract: An employer discovers a serious incident. Their immediate thought is: “it’s gross misconduct”. With this first impression in mind, it is tempting to rush into confirming a dismissal. But it is always sensible to press the pause button before moving forward. There are important procedural boxes to tick to avoid successful tribunal claims.
Supreme Court hands down Uber decision on worker status
Many of us followed the Uber cases through the appeal Courts as the impact of these decisions have a significant impact on hiring practices in the gig economy and more widely. Early last year, the final appeal court (the Supreme Court) handed down its judgment in Uber BV and ors V Aslam and ors, which marks a big step forward in worker rights.
Disciplinary Proceedings – increasing employee protection
It is a well-trodden path in dismissal litigation for the disciplinary process adopted by the employer to be picked apart piece by piece, with varying degrees of success by the claimant lawyer.
Legal protection for staff expressing ‘gender-critical’ beliefs
The delicate balancing act involved in managing staff members who hold and express strong views in the gender identity debate was considered in the recent case of Forstater v CGD Europe.
Vexatious grievances
It is a common temptation for many employers going through a difficult grievance or disciplinary process where the employee appears to be doing everything they possibly can to make things as difficult as possible, to throw in the towel before the process is completed and move to dismissal. Your employment lawyer’s advice to ‘leave no stone unturned’ begins to sound more and more like a huge waste of time. The decision in Hope v British Medical Association, demonstrates that it is well worth heeding such advice especially if the ultimate course is to dismiss the employee.