There are 3 million people in the UK who combine work with care. This is set to rise significantly due mainly to an ageing population. 1 in 5 adults has seen their work impacted as a result of their caring obligations, especially those aged 45 to 64. Productivity, attendance and stress levels can suffer when
This is a brief summary of the main points: ACAS and Tribunal claims Employees wishing to bring claims before the Employment Tribunal must first contact ACAS, which will offer a conciliation service. The measure, effective from 6 May, is designed to help the claimants and employers reach an agreement without having to go to a
The employee had originally been a self-employed financial adviser with several clients of his own. When he joined the company, he brought those clients with him in return for a substantial goodwill payment from his new employers. His contract included a restrictive covenant that prevented him from setting up a rival business within a year
A group of male maintenance staff have won a sex discrimination claim after discovering that their female counterparts were being paid more than them. The situation arose when the Swansea Metropolitan University (SMU) merged with the University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD). The eighteen men were originally employed by the SMU on a weekly
A court has ruled that a restrictive covenant involving a software company and a former employee was reasonable and so therefore enforceable. The company produced software for the fresh produce industry. They licensed their products for 12-month periods and renewed the licence upon payment of an annual fee. The sales manager had a post-termination restrictive
Employers who fail to pay their employees the National Minimum Wage now face financial penalties of up to £20,000. The penalty was previously a fine of 50% of the total underpayments to a maximum of £5,000. It is now a fine of 100% of total underpayments to a maximum of £20,000. The new limits came
A man who said his former employers gave him a bad reference because he had brought a discrimination case against them has won his victimisation claim. The man worked for a car sales and repair company but was dismissed because he was over 65 years old. He began proceedings for unfair dismissal and age discrimination.
On 6 April 2014 a major part of the Government’s programme of employment dispute reform will come into force with the introduction of ACAS Early Conciliation. The new scheme will require an employee who believes that they have a claim against their employer to notify ACAS of the dispute before they can issue a claim
Several police officers have won age discrimination claims after being forced to retire early. The five police forces responsible could now have to pay out millions of pounds in compensation. Test cases were brought on behalf of 250 officers. They lost their jobs under regulation A19, which allows forces to forcibly retire any officer under