A bus driver with an “exemplary record” who was sacked for going through traffic lights when they were on red has won his unfair dismissal claim. The Employment Tribunal heard that Abdul Jabber had worked for National Express West Midlands for 37 years and had an unblemished record. He was sacked in October 2015 after
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which oversees data protection in the UK, has urged businesses to prepare for major regulation changes coming into force next year. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an EU initiative to harmonise data protection across the European Union and it will apply in the UK from 25 May 2018.
A company was not justified in terminating a contract due to alleged defects in work carried out but that did not remove its right to recover overpayments. That was the decision of the High Court in a case involving a multi-million-pound contract between Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd and Merit Merrell Technology Ltd. Merrell had agreed
Good cash flow is the life blood of any business so it’s essential to monitor overdue invoices and act quickly to ensure payment. Failure to act promptly could mean your firm incurs damaging losses if a defaulting customer becomes insolvent and can’t afford to pay you. There are several early signs that a customer may
The landlord of a flat containing asbestos was not responsible for the death of a tenant who suffered from malignant mesothelioma. That was the decision of the High Court in a case involving the family of the tenant and Hammersmith Council. A claim for damages had been brought by the tenant’s widow. She believed her
If you’ve worked hard to build up a successful business it’s only natural that you wish to hand it on to your sons or daughters. However, there are several risks involved. In some ways, succession plans involving family members are more likely to cause problems than handovers involving complete strangers. With strangers, people tend to
Three directors have been banned from running a company for up to seven years after making illegal payments to benefit themselves instead of creditors. The three directors ran a family owned demolition company that was placed into liquidation with an estimated deficiency to creditors of £1,755,782. Despite this, the directors continued to trade to their
A landlord has won its appeal over the validity of service charges even though it was late in giving notice. The court held that it was enforceable because the tenant had “waived the invalidity”. The case involved Southwark Council and one of its tenants. At the beginning of each financial year the landlord had to
Historically, companies were required to include an Objects clause in their Memorandums of Association. This clause sets out the purpose of the company and listed the activities that the company was able to undertake. If a company acted outside of their Objects, those actions were said to be ultra vires (i.e. acting outside of their
While entrepreneurs may have experience in plying their own trade, it takes a certain critical mass and business acumen before one finds him or herself comfortable enough to contemplate the acquisition of another business or company. For others, it may simply be a leap of faith, motivated by the promise of growth. Nevertheless, it is