Business secretary Vince Cable has launched a wide ranging employment review which could potentially benefit up to a million British workers. Many people on zero-hours contracts are on ‘worker’ employment contracts, as opposed to ‘employee’ contracts. That means they have fewer basic rights, such as maternity pay, the right to request flexible working hours or
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
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
A manager of a golf club bar has won an unfair dismissal claim after his bosses said he had falsified weekly bar statements. The manager was suspended from his job when annual accounts showed a deficit of around £5,300. His bosses claimed that the deficit was due to him making handwritten alterations and deducting the
The Court of Protection has helped a family to settle a disagreement about the best way to care for their 84-year-old mother. The mother suffered from dementia and lived in a care home. She lacked the capacity to make the decision for herself about where she should live. As her condition worsened she moved into
A woman whose millionaire husband lied about the extent of his wealth during their divorce has won the right to take her case to the Supreme Court. Alison Sharland was married for 17 years to Charles Sharland, the founder of AppSense, a successful software company which was valued at £47.25m at the time of the
The government has sent information to social housing tenants reminding them of the Right to Buy scheme. The leaflets offer advice to tenants on how to exercise their Right to Buy and become first-time homeowners. The scheme allows social tenants in London a maximum discount of up to £102,700. The maximum discount in other parts
A judge was wrong to grant permission for a mother to take her daughter abroad, the Court of Appeal has ruled. The case involved an estranged couple who had dual British and Iranian citizenship. They had a three-year-old daughter who lived with the mother. The father had unsupervised access. The mother wanted to visit Iran
Many of the regulations relating to new house builds could be scrapped as the government tries to encourage the continuing growth of the housing market. Currently, builders of new houses must meet numerous specifications on how new homes should be built and what facilities they must include. Each local council is able to select the
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