Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, remote hearings in England and Wales were few and far between and the vast majority of hearings (whether civil, criminal or family) were heard face-to-face in court rooms up and down the country. This was the case whether the court was dealing with a short 10 minute possession claim,
The Coronavirus Act 2020 and introduction of a new practice direction in the court has had the effect of (i) increasing the notice period under s21 and s8 possession claims to three months (see Schedule 29 of Coronavirus Act 2020); and (ii) staying all possession claims (see paragraph 2 of CPR PD 51Z). In practice,
A whistle blower at the global accountancy company Ernst and Young has been awarded $10.8 in damages after revealing unethical auditing practices. The case involved Amjad Rihan and four UK-based companies that were part of the Ernst & Young network. The company is now known as EY. In 2013, Rihan was a partner in EY’s
The government has announced that furloughed workers taking paid parental or adoption leave will be entitled to pay based on their usual earnings rather than a furloughed pay rate. Entitlement to Statutory Maternity Pay, as well as the other forms of Parental or Adoption Pay, are currently calculated through someone’s average earnings over an 8-week
The High Court has given some helpful advice about whether a company in administration can place its employees in the government’s Job Retention Scheme. The issue arose in the case of the Carluccio’s restaurant chain, which went into administration on 30 March.The administrators of the chain applied for directions on whether the company’s employees could
The government has amended right to work checks to make it easier for employers to carry them out during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. The following temporary changes have been made:ï‚· checks can now be carried out over video callsï‚· job applicants and existing workers can send scanned documents or a photo of documents for checks
Alongside Working The Future we have written this discussion paper on Workforce Planning in the wake of Covid 19. It is our view that the effects of Covid-19 pose both challenges and opportunities for businesses but whatever your view, we should all accept that the wider economic landscape has changed irreversibly as a result. Because the nature of
The National Domestic Abuse Helpline has reported a rise of 25% in calls since the COVID-19 lockdown. The charity Refuge has stated that isolation appears to aggravate pre-existing aggressive behaviour. If you find yourself in an abusive relationship, what are your options? What is domestic abuse/violence? Domestic abuse does not just include violent physical behaviour.
Deductions made by Middlesbrough Football Club from its employees’ wages to pay for season tickets breached minimum wage regulations. That was the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal, which said the arrangement was for the club’s own use and benefit, within the National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015. The tribunal heard that employees’ rates of pay
A bus driver has lost his claim of unfair dismissal in a case that highlights the issue of who is responsible for health and safety at work. Mr J Castano was a driver with London General Transport Services, working out of the Putney bus garage. In 2017, he raised concerns with his managers about an