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Changes to employment tribunals designed to save businesses £50m a year and make it easier for them to take on staff have now come into effect. The Government says it has streamlined the system to reduce some of the burden on employers and reduce the number of vexatious claims. The main changes are: The qualifying
Three out of four middle managers in UK businesses are unaware of the Bribery Act, according to research by the fraud investigation specialists Ernst & Young. This is in spite of the fact that the Act came into effect in July 2011. The researchers also found that of the 28% of middle managers who had
The Supreme Court has ruled that an employer can operate a compulsory retirement age if it is “founded on legitimate social policy aims”. The case involved solicitor Leslie Seldon who was a partner at a law firm. In 2006, he was obliged to retire at the age of 65 under provisions contained in the firm’s
A letting agency has been fined for illegally obtaining information about tenants while chasing up rent arrears. The offence took place in 2009 when the agency became concerned about overdue rent payments. One of its directors approached a local authority customer service adviser and asked him to obtain information about certain tenants from housing benefit
Steve Smith, Managing Partner of Machins Solicitors LLP is pleased to announce their expansion as a result of the merger with Sumner & Tabor of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. Gillian Tabor and Kathryn Ainsworth, partners in Sumner & Tabor, have for some time been exploring ways in which they could better meet all the legal needs of their
Can you answer the following questions correctly? TRUE/FALSE: You have just won a new contract from your main competitor. He has now told you that you must employ all of the staff he formerly employed on the contract. TRUE/FALSE: A member of staff transferred to you under TUPE. Before he transferred he was injured at
A manager whose redundancy was rushed through before his 50th birthday to avoid giving him up to £1m in pension benefits has lost his claim of age discrimination. The Court of Appeal ruled that the actions by the employer to save money were justifiable under the circumstances. Employment law specialists say it overturns previous case
A developer of a block of flats has been ordered to return deposits to purchasers because the building was not completed on time. However, it was not the delay itself that caused the problem, but the lack of due diligence in failing to get the work done as quickly as possible after problems arose. In
Five bus drivers have won a claim of unfair dismissal after a change of employer meant they would have to spend up to two hours a day extra getting to their new depot. The case arose when the bus operator Centrewest transferred one of its routes in London to another operator, Abellio. The drivers were
The number of businesses facing critical levels of financial distress was 24% higher in the last quarter of 2011 than in same period in 2010. The statistics are contained in the Red Flag Alert compiled by Begbies Traynor. The Professional Services sector was the worst affected showing a rise of 61%. Travel and Tourism was