A company had a multi-million pound contract terminated because it failed to foresee the extent of ground contamination on a development site and failed to carry out its own checks. The case involved a construction company that entered into a contract with the government of Gibraltar to construct a road and tunnel. The contract incorporated
The government is being urged to throw out the rulebook relating to late payments and start afresh if it really wants to tackle the problem that bedevils so many small businesses. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has conducted a widespread study into the issue and produced a report, Ending Late Payment. It says
Two directors have been disqualified after a court heard how they tried to “buy time” for their ailing company by producing misleading accounts and VAT figures. The directors were sole shareholders in a company importing and supplying plywood and sheet materials. At first their company was successful but it suffered a downturn in 2009 and
The co-owner of a restaurant has won her appeal to overturn an inaccurate valuation of the company’s shares by an independent expert. The issue arose because the restaurant had two co-owners who had equal shareholdings. A dispute arose and it was agreed that the best solution was for one shareholder to buy out the other
Many employers are at risk of breaking pregnancy discrimination regulations despite wishing to support female staff, according to new official research. A survey commissioned jointly by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission found that most employers felt it was in their interests to support pregnant women and
The Employment Appeal Tribunal has ruled that trade union and health and safety meetings can count as working time for the purposes of employment law. The case involved two employees who worked 12-hour shifts for a company called Encirc Ltd. One also served as a health and safety officer and the other was a trade
An employee who was sacked over a risqué photo that he posted on Facebook has won his claim of unfair dismissal. The case involved 31-year-old Faisal Auld who had worked for the company Norbert Dentressangle for 10 years. In 2009 he had posted a photo of himself holding a work colleague in a headlock in
The government is to carry a review of Employment Tribunal fees, which have proved highly controversial since they were introduced in 2013. The fees are designed to discourage frivolous claims and ensure that the person taking legal action bears some of the cost. Employees currently have to pay up to £1,200 to bring a claim
A woman who was subjected to sexist bullying at work has been awarded nearly £250,000 in compensation. Julie Humphryes earned more than £100,000 a year as an architect with the firm, YOO. She told the Employment Tribunal that she became marginalised by the firm after she took maternity leave with her second child in 2012.
The time that workers who don’t have a fixed workplace spend travelling from home to their first job of the day counts as work time, according to the European Union’s Advocate General. The same principle applies to the time spent travelling back home after the last job of the day. The issue arose out of