The government is introducing a series of changes to increase the flexibility and capacity of the employment tribunal system during the Covid-19 pandemic. The new measures will also allow tribunals to deal with increasing caseloads, following the abolition of employment tribunal fees in July 2017. It means there will be more remote hearings so tribunals
The Administrative Court has made a declaration clarifying that the legal definition of “”employment”” includes people who provide their services on a self-employed basis as an independent contractor. The declaration was made after the Simply Learning Tutor Agency Ltd and eight other similar agencies applied for a declaration that the Employment Agencies Act 1973 does
An employee who was suspended from her work after being arrested for a serious sexual offence has lost her claim for breach of contract. The employee, who worked for HMRC, was arrested in August 2018. In accordance with her employment contract, she disclosed the arrest and the sexual offence to her line manager, who further
The High Court has lifted an interim injunction restraining an employee from working at another company. The case involved Peltrade Ltd, a distributor of energy-producing wood pellets. In March 2018 it had employed Mr Dean Scanlan to trade in premium and industrial quality pellets, but he had worked primarily in the premium pellet sector. His
A survey of more than 24,000 employees has revealed widely differing attitudes between white and ethnic minority employees towards career progression, pay and discrimination. The research was carried out by Business in the Community (BITC) and published as Race at Work: Black Voices Report. It found that seven out of 10 of black respondents wanted
The number of people working from home could double once the Covid-19 crisis is over, according to new research. A survey carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says employers expected a dramatic increase as employees get used to the advantages of home working and not having to commute. CIPD surveyed
The Employment Tribunal failed to properly consider the needs of the employer when dealing with a disability discrimination claim. That was the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in a case involving the Department of Work & Pensions and one of its employees, Susan Boyers. Ms Boyers suffered from migraines, stress and panic attacks. She
The Court of Appeal has upheld an injunction preventing a director from revealing confidential information about his former company. The court heard that the company had been owned in equal shares by two directors. Relations between the parties broke down and they entered into a settlement agreement under which one agreed to sell his shares
Two teachers who were made redundant during a school reorganisation programme were unfairly dismissed. That was the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in a case involving Gwynedd Council v Shelley Barratt & Ors (2020). The teachers had been employed by the council to work at a community secondary school (School 1). Under the Staffing
Royal Mail has lost its appeal over the employment status of some of its agency workers. The case involved Mr D Kocur and other workers who were supplied to Royal Mail by Angard Staffing Solutions. The Employment Tribunal heard evidence that Kocur was recruited by Angard as a “flexible resourcing employee” in 2015. His letter