There has been a 39% rise in claims before the Employment Tribunal since the Supreme Court ruled last year that the fees charged to bring claims were unlawful. The fees were introduced in 2013, with employees having to pay up to £1,200 to bring a claim. Following a challenge by the union Unison, the Supreme
A director has been banned for seven years after repeatedly failing to pay his workers the minimum wage. Shakil Ahmed was a director at Euro Contracts Services Limited (ECS), which supplied labourers to farms. The farms paid a fee to ECS, which was then responsible for paying the labourers. An investigation by HMRC in 2009
A recruitment agency has been granted an injunction to prevent a former employee working for rival companies while on garden leave and to ensure its confidential information isn’t misused. The case involved Coyle Personnel, which supplied nurses to NHS trusts and private hospitals. It employed a senior recruitment consultant, Mr Hackett, for four years. During
An employment tribunal has ruled that drivers with Hermes are workers, not self-employed contractors and so are entitled to employment rights. The ruling follows a similar decision by the Supreme Court, which held that a plumber with Pimlico Plumbers should also be classified as a worker rather than self-employed. The Hermes case involved 65 drivers.
The Court of Appeal has provided useful guidance on when an employee can claim constructive unfair dismissal based on a “final straw” event following a series of related grievances. The issue arose in the case of Harpreet Kaur who worked for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. There was an altercation between Ms Kaur and another
A cycle courier with a taxi firm was a ‘worker’ rather than a self-employed contractor and so was entitled to holiday pay. That was the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in a case involving Addison Lee Ltd and one of its riders, Mr C Gascoigne. Addison provided a taxi and courier service. Mr Gascoigne’s
HMRC is continuing to clamp down on firms that fail to pay the National Minimum Wage and is urging underpaid workers to come forward and complain. The latest figures show that the number of workers getting the money they’re owed has doubled over the last year. In 2017 to 2018, HMRC investigators identified £15.6m in
A police force discriminated against a male officer by paying him less while he was on shared parental leave than a woman would have received while on maternity leave. That was the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in a case involving Leicestershire Constabulary and one of its officers. The officer’s claim relied on the
A meat company has been granted an injunction preventing a former employee misusing its confidential information about customers and product prices. The court heard that the company supplied fresh meat to commercial catering customers. One of its employees resigned after working as a sales executive for two-and-a-half years. During his employment, he had direct contact
The Government Equalities Office has published new guidance for employers on how to avoid sex discrimination when implementing workplace dress codes. The document, entitled Dress codes and sex discrimination – what you need to know, stresses that while policies on clothes can be a legitimate part of an employer’s terms and conditions of employment, the