Expectant fathers now have the right to take unpaid time off work to attend two ante-natal classes with their partners. The entitlement, which came into effect on 1 October, applies to all expectant partners including husbands, spouses, civil partners and anyone in a long-term relationship with the mother. Expectant fathers who are not in a
A college has successfully obtained an injunction to prevent its employees carrying out a planned strike. The employees and the college were in dispute over pay rates throughout 2013. The trade union had balloted its members in December 2013 to gauge the level of support for a strike. The members voted in favour, and a
An estate agent was awarded too much compensation after being constructively dismissed, an appeal judge has ruled. The agent had worked for a firm as an area manager. He had a remuneration package that was linked to the profitability of his office. The company moved him from a successful office to one that was making
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Were you aware that employees with Breast Cancer and other Cancers have protection from disability discrimination from day 1 of their diagnosis even when their condition is in remission? You may be an employee working through your Cancer. You may be the employer trying to support your employee in
Employers who lose an equal pay claim could now be subject to an equal pay audit on their entire workforce. The update to the Equality Act came into force on 1 October and means that tribunals are obliged to order the audits on any employers who lose an equal pay claim. There are a few
A company has been granted an injunction to prevent a former employee from going to work for one of its competitors for 12 months. The employee had worked for the company for a number of years but became unhappy when he was given a new role. However, he continued to work there while he looked
A woman has won her case of constructive dismissal after her employers approached her son about her faltering performance rather than speak to her directly. The woman worked for an accountancy firm. She was a competent member of staff and received a positive performance review. However, months later she didn’t receive a pay rise as
A director has been told he must honour an independent company’s valuation of his business. The case involved a company that was owned by two directors who decided to go their separate ways. The first director owned 60% of the business. While he didn’t have an official contract with the company, a lot of its
A court has ruled that a subcontractor should be paid for its involvement in a large project despite being dismissed before work got under way. The case involved an oil company that was hired to carry out development work in Iraq. It then decided to outsource some of the work to the subcontractor. The entire
The Law Society has launched a media campaign to highlight the importance of using a professional solicitor when seeking legal advice. ‘Use a Professional. Use a Solicitor’ is the tagline, and adverts will be appearing on numerous media outlets including television, railway stations and public buses. In recent years, various unregulated advisers and do-it-yourself legal