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.
A sub-contractor has won its battle to force a developer to pay more than £388,000 for work carried on a major project. The case involved E7 Building Services and R G Carter Cambridge Ltd. E7 had been contracted to carry out mechanical and electrical works on one of Carter’s projects. The two sides later disputed
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has called on the UK’s leading companies to address the issue of late payments. FSB Chairman Mike Cherry sent a letter to the leaders of the FTSE 100 companies urging them to lead the way in eliminating late payments that can cause huge cash flow problems for smaller firms.
When agreeing break clauses on commercial properties it’s important to ensure the terms are clear and unambiguous. Otherwise costly disputes can arise, as happened in a recent case involving Goldman Sachs and Procession House Trustee Ltd. Goldman had taken out a lease for a term of 25 years from 1999, at a rent of over
The government has published new guidance for landlords to protect tenants from being exposed to poor living conditions. From 1 October this year, landlords who let a property to five or more people – from two or more separate households – must be licensed by their local housing authority. The move will affect around 160,000
Company directors could be held personally liable for nuisance calls and face fines of up to £500,000 under tough new measures being put forward by the government. Currently, only businesses are liable for such fines. This has led to cases where some directors try to escape paying penalties by declaring bankruptcy – and then start
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