New legislation to prevent company bosses misusing Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) for former employees has been announced by the government. Ministers say that while NDAs can be used by businesses for several legitimate reasons, there are occasions where they are being abused and those who sign them not made aware of their rights. There have been cases
The Employment Tribunal has ruled that a transport worker was discriminated against because of his ‘lack of command’ of the English language. Mr A Khawaja, from Pakistan, worked for Transport for London (TfL) but was overlooked for development opportunities such as training and conference calls. The office held conference calls twice a day and the
There has been a rise in the number of both mothers and fathers facing discrimination at work after returning from parental leave. Figures from a survey of employment lawyers, conducted by Direct Line, reveal that more than 70% said there had been an increase in cases where a woman was sacked while on maternity leave.
A court ruling in a dispute between ambulance workers and the NHS could affect employers across all sectors when it comes to factoring overtime into holiday pay. The dispute centred on whether ambulance staff were entitled to have an average amount of their voluntary overtime pay included when calculating their holiday pay. The Employment Tribunal
Two recent cases involving fathers taking paternity leave have highlighted a defining difference between parental leave and a mother’s statutory maternity leave. One male employee who worked for a technology firm sued for sex discrimination after his employers insisted he should not be paid at the same rate as mothers on statutory maternity leave. A
A social worker has won her discrimination claim after a drawn-out dispute with her employers in which she was asked, “how long would this disabled thing go on”. Patricia Murphy worked for Northumberland County Council from 1999. She suffered a foot injury in 2014 and lost some mobility. A series of complaints led to her
An office worker was subjected to a ‘hostile, humiliating and offensive environment’ after she informed her employers that she was pregnant shortly after joining the company. Eilise Walker started working for Arco Environmental in November 2017, taking over the role of office manager. After three weeks, Walker informed her bosses that she was pregnant. Walker
New regulations requiring employers to provide payslips for all workers, including those on casual and zero-hours contracts, has now come into effect. An estimated 300,000 people are expected to benefit. From April 6, these payslips must include the number of hours worked, making it easier for workers to check they are being paid in full
A tribunal has held that Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) was wrong to dismiss an employee who raised questions about health and safety practices. The judge likened its HR process to “a show trial in the former Soviet Union”. The case involved energy trader Donald Nutt who was employed by SSE for 16 years. After
Two company directors have been held personally liable for their company’s failures over minimum wage rates, holiday pay and overtime. The case involved Lithuanian nationals who had come to the UK to work for DJ Houghton Catching Services Ltd as chicken catchers on farms. Their employment was subject to the regulatory regime of the Gangmasters