Employment UK

  • January 23, 2025

    Gov't Floats Tweak To Pension Tax As £49M Returned

    The government confirmed Thursday that it will close a controversial loophole that has resulted in retirees being overtaxed to the tune of £1.3 billion ($1.6 billion) over the past decade.

  • January 23, 2025

    Hair Stylist Pushed Out For Being Pregnant Wins £89K

    A hair stylist who was subjected to a campaign of mistreatment after she told her workplace that she was pregnant has won more than £89,000 ($109,580), with an employment tribunal ruling that the discrimination forced her to resign.

  • January 23, 2025

    Police Sanction Of Sex Pest Cop Deficient, Appeal Court Finds

    The Metropolitan Police said it would reconvene a misconduct panel to interrogate historical claims of sexual harassment against a former detective chief inspector with the London force after the Court of Appeal ruled it had provided inadequate reasons for its initial sanction.

  • January 22, 2025

    TSB Must Face Most Of Adviser's Sex, Race Bias Claims

    TSB Bank must face an employee's sex and race bias claims after an employment tribunal ruled that it could not resolve the differences between the two versions of events without going to trial.

  • January 22, 2025

    Cleaner Fired For Taking 400 Sick Days In 4 Years Wins £50K

    A hospital cleaner has won approximately £50,000 ($61,600) from her former employer after a tribunal ruled that her superiors failed repeatedly to accommodate her complex mental health issues before they decided to fire her.

  • January 22, 2025

    UK Gov't To Tap Into Bank Accounts Of Benefits Fraudsters

    Benefits cheats who fail to reimburse taxpayers could have cash owed taken directly from their bank accounts, as part of the U.K. government's plan to launch the "biggest fraud crackdown in a generation."

  • January 22, 2025

    UK Gov't Maintains Pensions Enrollment Earning Trigger

    The government has said it will retain the current earnings threshold at which workers are automatically enrolled into pension plans, despite an intention to reform the rules.

  • January 22, 2025

    Payslip Tech CEO Wins £93K For Spite-Firing Over Salary

    A tech company must pay its former chief executive £92,800 ($115,000) after it unfairly dismissed him because of "resentment" over his high earnings, a tribunal has ruled.

  • January 22, 2025

    Snooker Star's Biz Files £10M Claim Over Player Contracts

    A company part-owned by snooker world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has lodged a claim with the Competition Appeal Tribunal over contract terms that prevent players from taking part in tournaments not organized by the sport's major governing body.

  • January 21, 2025

    Ex-Baker Botts Partner Fined For Abusing Court Process

    A former Baker Botts LLP partner was hit Tuesday with a £35,000 ($43,000) legal costs order after dropping potential insolvency proceedings against his ex-employer in a dispute over pay, with a judge ruling he must pay the amount for abusing court process.

  • January 21, 2025

    Royal London Data Boss Loses Early Battle Over Redundancy

    A data privacy lead can't revive a bid to reinstate his job until trial because he failed to provide an employment tribunal with any new evidence showing that the Royal London Mutual Insurance Society made him redundant by punishing him.

  • January 21, 2025

    Law Firms At Forefront Of Trend For Paid Carer's Leave

    More employers are providing paid leave to members of staff with caring responsibilities following a recent change in regulations, with law firms among those pioneering the increasingly popular policy.

  • January 21, 2025

    Doctors' Union Exec Wins Status To Sue BMA Over Ousting

    The former chair of a trade body representing family doctors has won the go-ahead to pursue her sex discrimination and unfair dismissal claims against the British Medical Association after she was removed from her post when she was on maternity leave.

  • January 21, 2025

    Moderate Retirement Pension Gap Rises To More Than £31K

    U.K. households face a £31,500 ($38,700) average pension shortfall compared with the amount needed for a moderate standard of living in retirement, according to a report by Hargreaves Lansdown published on Tuesday.

  • January 21, 2025

    Police Force Arrests Officer's Victimization Claim On 2nd Try

    A police force has persuaded a tribunal to dismiss an officer's allegation that the force victimized him for previously bringing a discrimination allegation, proving the second time around that an earlier settlement barred future claims.

  • January 21, 2025

    Reach Newspaper Group To Fill £5M Hole In Pension Fund

    Publisher Reach PLC has confirmed it will plug a £5 million ($6.2 million) funding gap in one of its retirement saving plans after it discovered a "historical error" during preparations for a pension buyout.

  • January 21, 2025

    HMRC Wins Appeal In £197M BlueCrest Tax Battle

    A London appeals court has sent a challenge by British-American hedge fund BlueCrest to a demand from HM Revenue and Customs for approximately £197 million ($242 million) in tax back to a lower tribunal for fresh consideration.

  • January 20, 2025

    GlobalData Loses Bid To Bar Ex-Director's Share Options Suit

    A former director of GlobalData PLC can sue for employee share scheme options worth £840,000 ($1.1 million) after a court ruled Monday that he had a realistic shot at winning his case that the company from wrongly prevented him from cashing in.

  • January 20, 2025

    Solicitor's Past Contact With Judge No Reason To Retry Case

    A tribunal has ruled that a solicitor cannot get a second shot at his victimization claim against his old firm, concluding it was not an issue that he had been involved in a case with the same judge two years before.

  • January 20, 2025

    Gov't Urged To Act On Rising Pensioner Poverty

    The government must take immediate and targeted action to halt growing poverty among the oldest in society, by supporting those failed by the means-tested benefits system and legacy state retirement savings plans, a left-wing advocacy group has said.

  • January 20, 2025

    Legal Tech Biz Defeats Developer's Age Bias Claim

    An employment tribunal has tossed a software engineer's age discrimination claim against a patent search platform developer, finding that his arguments would be more relevant in an unfair dismissal case.

  • January 20, 2025

    Sacked NHS Lab Assistant Wins £71K Over Disability Bias

    A National Health Service trust must pay £71,000 ($86,600) to a disabled former lab assistant after it discriminated against her by firing her and providing a bad reference, a tribunal has ruled.

  • January 20, 2025

    Gov't Gets Mixed Reception On Inheritance Tax Pension Plans

    Proposals by the U.K. government to bring pension assets within the scope of inheritance tax will result in "numerous problems" and raise concerns in their current form, a trade body and consultants warned on Monday.

  • January 20, 2025

    Judges Call For Removal Of Judicial Appointments Boss

    Unionized judges called for the removal of the chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission, Helen Pitcher, in an open letter to the justice secretary on Monday.

  • January 17, 2025

    Ryanair Can´t Blacklist Striking Pilots, Appeals Court Says

    A London appeals court ruled Friday that Ryanair couldn't blacklist employees for striking, handing a victory to a group of pilots who claimed the low-cost giant was punishing them for picketing over pay and working conditions in 2019.

Expert Analysis

  • Tribunal Cases Illustrate Balancing Act Of Anti-Bias Protection

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    Recent employment tribunal discrimination cases show employers the complexities of determining the scope of protected characteristics under the Equality Act, and responding proportionately, particularly when conflicts involve controversial beliefs that can trigger competing employee discrimination claims, say Michael Powner and Sophie Rothwell at Charles Russell.

  • Comparing The UK And EU Approaches To AI Regulation

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    While there are significant points of convergence between the recently published U.K. approach to artificial intelligence regulation and the EU AI Act, there is also notable divergence between them, and it appears that the U.K. will remain a less regulatory environment for AI in the foreseeable future, say lawyers at Steptoe.

  • Employer Lessons From Ruling On Prof's Anti-Zionist Views

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    In Miller v. University of Bristol, an employment tribunal recently ruled that a professor's anti-Zionist beliefs were protected by the Equality Act 2010, highlighting for employers why it’s important to carefully consider disciplinary actions related to an employee's political expressions, says Hina Belitz at Excello Law.

  • ECJ Ruling Clarifies Lawyer Independence Questions

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    The European Court of Justice's recent ruling in Bonnanwalt v. EU Intellectual Property Office, finding that a law firm had maintained independence despite being owned by its client, serves as a pivotal reference point to understanding the contours of legal representation before EU courts, say James Tumbridge and Benedict Sharrock-Harris at Venner Shipley.

  • How Employers Should Respond To Flexible Work Requests

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    U.K. employees will soon have the right to request flexible working arrangements from the first day of employment, including for religious observances, and refusing them without objective justification could expose employers to indirect discrimination claims and hurt companies’ diversity and inclusion efforts, says Jim Moore at Hamilton Nash.

  • What COVID Payout Ruling Means For Lockdown Loss Claims

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    While the High Court's recent COVID-19 payout decision in Gatwick v. Liberty Mutual, holding that pandemic-related regulations trigger prevention of access clauses, will likely lead to insurers accepting more business interruption claims, there are still evidentiary challenges and issues regarding policy limits and furlough, say Josianne El Antoury and Greg Lascelles at Covington.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • Crypto As A Coin Of The Corporate Realm: The Pros And Cons

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    The broadened range of crypto-assets opens up new possibilities for employers looking to recruit, incentivize and retain employees through the use of crypto, but certain risks must be addressed, say Dan Sharman and Sunny Mangatt at Shoosmiths.

  • Employer Tips For Handling Data Subject Access Requests

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    As employers face numerous employee data-subject access requests — and the attendant risks of complaints to the Information Commissioner's Office — issues such as managing deadlines and sifting through data make compliance more difficult, highlighting the importance of efficient internal processes and clear communication when responding to a request, say Gwynneth Tan and Amy Leech at Shoosmiths.

  • Employer Tips For Navigating The Growing 'Workcation' Trend

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    While the trend of working remotely from a holiday property may be attractive to workers, employers must set clear guidelines to help employees successfully combine work and leisure without implicating legal risks or compromising business efficacy, says Amy Leech at Shoosmiths.

  • Opinion

    UK Whistleblowers Flock To The US For Good Reason

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    The U.K. Serious Fraud Office director recently brought renewed attention to the differences between the U.K. and U.S. whistleblower regimes — differences that may make reporting to U.S. agencies a better and safer option for U.K. whistleblowers, and show why U.K. whistleblower laws need to be improved, say Benjamin Calitri and Kate Reeves at Kohn Kohn.

  • No-Poach Agreements Face Greater EU Antitrust Scrutiny

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    EU competition authorities are increasingly viewing employer no-poach agreements as anti-competitive and an enforcement priority, demonstrating that such provisions are no longer without risk in Europe, and proving the importance of understanding EU antitrust law concerns and implications, says Robert Hardy at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Water Special Administration Changes May Affect Creditors

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    Following the publication of new legislation, changes are afoot to the U.K. government's statutory regime governing special administrations for regulated water companies — and one consequence may be that some creditors of such companies will find themselves in a more uncertain position, say Helena Clarke and Charlotte Møller at Squire Patton.

  • Opinion

    Labour Should Reconsider Its Discrimination Law Plans

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    While the Labour Party's recent proposals allowing equal pay claims based on ethnicity and disability, and introducing dual discrimination, have laudable intentions and bring some advantages, they are not the right path forward as the changes complicate the discrimination claim process for employees, say Colin Leckey and Tarun Tawakley at Lewis Silkin.

  • Tracing The History Of LGBTQ+ Rights In The Workplace

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    Pride History month is a timely reminder of how recent developments have shaped LGBTQ+ employees' rights in the workplace today, and what employers can do to ensure that employees are protected from discrimination, including creating safe workplace cultures and promoting allyship, say Caitlin Farrar and Jessica Bennett at Farrer.

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