The Court of Appeal has ruled that an NHS Trust failed to protect a mental health nurse from abuse from his colleagues because it wanted to deter him from taking part in his trade union activities. The nurse was a leading member of the Workers of England Union (WEU). He was also a member of
A software developer has been granted an injunction to prevent a former employee passing on confidential information to a rival business. The developer specialised in computer gaming software for use in non-gaming industries. The employee had joined the company as a programmer and later moved to the sales department. There were restrictive covenants in his
Shop staff are to be given more freedom to opt out of Sunday working following a government decision to devolve some control to local councils. The new measures will enable councils to “zone” any relaxation of Sunday trading laws so they will be able to prioritise high streets and city centres. This will enable them
The government has confirmed that it’s to press ahead with plans to force large companies to publish their gender pay gap data. The figures will have to include the difference in bonus payments made to male and female employees. The information will then be collated and published in league tables. The new measures are part
ACAS has published useful new guidance for employers on how to conduct workplace investigations involving disciplinary issues. The guidance stresses the need for investigations to be carried out correctly in accordance with the law. Failure to do so could result in an employer having to pay compensation if sanctions taken against an employee are later
The recent case of Barbulescu v Romania hit the national press with headlines suggesting that the law had changed and that employers could do whatever they wanted in relation to the interception and monitoring of employees’ emails. These headlines were not correct. The law in this area has not changed but some clarification has been
The government says it wants the new penalties for employers who fail to pay tribunal awards to come into force from April this year. The penalties relate to awards made in employment cases. If an employer fails to pay the award or settlement, they will receive a warning notice. If they still fail to pay
A company had not discriminated against an employee by telling her that she had to speak English while at work. That was the decision of the Employment Tribunal in the case of a Russian born woman who started working for a company involved in testing products on animals. The company became concerned at the woman’s
Nearly 60% of employees say the new National Living Wage (NLW) will help to increase their motivation at work. More than 70% say it will make them feel more positive for themselves and their families. The NLW comes into effect on 1 April and will be set at £7.20 per hour for workers over the
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that an employer had been entitled to dismiss an engineer who used the company’s email system to communicate with his family. However, businesses should not see that as a green light for casual monitoring of staff emails. The case involved a Romanian company that set up