Do you know which employment contract to use for different categories of employee? Here’s our handy guide to understanding them all… Zero Hours, Casual, Temporary or Fixed Term? Many people are confused when it comes to working out which contract (or Principal Statement of Terms and Conditions) to give to the different categories of employee. There are many people who will ask for a zero hours contract when what they actually need is a casual services agreement. Find out more about zero hours contracts on…
Employment Tribunal Fees could be completely abolished in Scotland over the next 12 months, according to the Scottish Government. The First Minister revealed the plans in its "Programme for Government', a document which outlines the legislative agenda for the year ahead. This represents a radical shift away from the UK Government's policy of charging for access to the Employment Tribunal system, which has been in place for over 2 years. The Introduction of UK Tribunal Fees Before 2013, there was no fee payable for issuing…
The Court of Appeal has dismissed Unison's appeals against its judicial review applications challenging the legality of Employment Tribunal Fees. Whilst “troubled” by the sharp decline in Employment Tribunal claims, the Court decided the fact of decline also needed to be supported by evidence of a lack of affordability of the fees in the financial circumstances of (typical) individuals. However, The story on Employment Tribunal fees isn't over, since Unison have said they will seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court and the government…
Most HR professionals will know that when a business changes owner, its employees’ rights, duties and liabilities are directly transferred under the TUPE legislation. But it turns out this is not necessarily true if they are on long term sick leave, according to a recent case. TUPE, or Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment), was designed to introduce three basic concepts into UK employment law when a business is sold. Employees employment rights remain intact Employees have protection from dismissal if they are dismissed due…
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is currently carrying out targeted inspections on refurbishment projects – and Working at Height is likely to be high on the list of enforcement. HSE figures indicate that 45% of deaths on construction sites in Britain last year were as a result of falls from height and 581 workers suffered major injuries as a result of such a fall. Good working practice and legislation requires employers to plan work at height and to give information to employees who are…
Health and Safety is a very important part of any organisation – but how people view it depends on the culture within the organisation. Different organisations, indeed different sites within the same organisation, will have a different culture and outlook on Health and Safety. Cultures are driven by Directors and Managers. Take for example a Transport Yard with a site rule that all pedestrians MUST wear High Visibility clothing and use the marked walkways. If the Managing Director is seen to walk straight from the…
Every year, there are over 5000 accidents involving transport in the workplace. About 50 of these result in people being killed, according to HSE statistics. The main causes of injury are people falling off vehicles, or being struck or crushed by them. Workplace transport is any activity involving vehicles used in a workplace. Vehicles driven on public roads are excluded, except where the vehicle is being loaded or unloaded on a public road adjacent to a workplace. We often take traffic movement around our work…
The controversial question of what to include in holiday pay has taken another turn against employers. So what’s changed and what do you need to include in your calculations for holiday pay? Commission… Employers may have to change their payment arrangements for employees who earn a high proportion of their salary as commission, following a recent case. In the case of Lock v British Gas, the courts held that failing to include commission in holiday pay calculations meant that employees earned significantly less for periods…
The Government has now published its draft trade union bill – if passed, this bill could see some significant changes to Employment Law…. Here are some of the most important points about the draft bill you need to know… Notice period of strike action & agency cover The most important proposed change for employers to note is that if the bill is passed. Trade Unions will have to give employers 14 days’ notice of strike action and in addition, businesses will be allowed to bring…
In the summer, it seems wrong think about servicing your heating systems. However, inspection and servicing of Gas Appliances and other types of heating now can prevent issues in the winter. Summer and autumn are the ideal time to have your heating systems checked in particular checks for Carbon Monoxide. Often employers wait until the winter for these tests and then discover that their heating system either doesn’t work or has to be switched of until repaired. This then leaves a cold workplace and a…
