Employers no longer have to make National Insurance contributions for apprentices under the age of 25. The change came into effect on 6 April and applies to both new and current apprenticeships. It will produce a saving of about £1,000 a year when employing an apprentice earning £16,000 a year. The government says it is
An accountancy firm has been granted a restraining order against a former employee who had persistently brought spurious legal claims that were bound to fail. The case involved a woman who worked for the firm for two years before resigning in 2006. She then brought five employment law claims, 10 money claims plus claims against
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has held that a company’s childcare voucher scheme did not discriminate against a woman on maternity leave. The case involved a company that operated a scheme that enabled employees to forego part of their salary in exchange for childcare vouchers. Entry to the scheme was conditional on employees accepting that
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published new guidelines to help companies steer clear of discrimination laws when recruiting new staff or advertising their services. The guidelines point out that placing a discriminatory advert is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010 (‘the Act’). The Act protects individuals from discrimination because of sex, race, disability,
A businesswoman has been banned from acting as company director for seven years for allowing her restaurant to employ illegal workers. An investigation by the Insolvency Service in 2013 found that the woman was a director of the restaurant while it was employing three people who were not eligible to work in the UK. The
People who feel they’re being discriminated against at work and are considering bringing a claim need to act quickly. Claims generally have to be brought with three months minus one day of the discrimination taking place. There are limited exceptions to this but the best advice is to act within the deadline. A woman with
The Employment Appeal Tribunal has confirmed that employees are entitled to have commission earnings added to their holiday pay. The decision is the latest round in a long running case involving British Gas and one of its salesmen, Mr Joe Lock. Mr Lock earned a basic wage plus commission. However, when he took holidays, he
A supermarket has been held liable after one of its employees carried out an unprovoked assault on a customer. The incident arose when a customer asked for help from a kiosk attendant at a petrol station run by the supermarket. The attendant responded with foul-mouthed abuse and ordered the customer to leave. He then followed
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has held that a company’s childcare voucher scheme did not discriminate against a woman on maternity leave. The case involved a company that operated a scheme that enabled employees to forego part of their salary in exchange for childcare vouchers. Entry to the scheme was conditional on employees accepting that
A doctor who was dismissed by the NHS after raising concerns about how a hospital was treating patients has been awarded £2.5m compensation. Dr Raj Mattu was a cardiologist at University Hospital Coventry in Walsgrave. He became alarmed that overcrowding was leading to patient deaths. He raised his concerns with the University Hospitals Coventry and