The Government has confirmed that it is making changes to the unfair dismissal rules in an attempt to encourage employers to take on more staff. The qualification period for being able to bring a claim of unfair dismissal is to be extended from one year to two years. The change will come into effect from
A stonemasonry business which was featured on television has been prosecuted after a viewer raised concerns about staff being exposed to dangerous dust. Atelier 109 Ltd from Etton nearPeterboroughfeatured in a BBC2 series called Mastercrafts, presented by Monty Don. Afterwards, a viewer contacted the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and said the firm didn’t seem
The changes to the regulations covering agency workers have now come into effect. It means that agency workers who fulfil the same role with a firm for 12 continuous weeks are entitled to the same basic employment conditions as employees. The regulations apply even if the person only works for a few hours each week.
The need for employers to have the correct legal and training procedures in place was shown in a recent case in which a child was injured as she walked under a street light. The accident happened as the light was being repaired. The workman detached the reflector to inspect it but it fell just as
The new National Minimum Wage rates have now come into effect. The rate for adult workers has risen by 15p to £6.08 an hour. The rate for 18-20 year olds goes up by 6p to £4.98 an hour. The rate for 16-17 year olds has increased by 4p to £3.68 an hour. The rate for
A firm of surveyors must pay £18m in compensation after giving negligent advice to clients involved in a major property deal. The surveyors were hired by a consortium of developers to assess the commercial prospects of a factory outlet shopping centre. The centre was in a listed building on two floors. The developers acquired the
The importance of keeping accurate written records of directors’ dealings and activities was highlighted in a recent case before the Court of Appeal. It involved five directors of a property company that had gone into liquidation. The liquidator began proceedings to make the directors repay money owing on loan accounts and to pay compensation for
When buying a business it’s important to ensure that the seller doesn’t try to entice away clients or customers once the sale goes through. For this reason, most firms will insist on a covenant preventing the seller from setting up a rival business or soliciting his former customers for a specified period. The value of
Relationships between shareholders in small companies are often tense, but what happens if they refuse allow meetings to take place that could determine the future of the business? The issue arose in a case involving a taxi firm that had two shareholders who were also both directors. The minority shareholder played no active part in
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has warned that consumer landlords are still being presented with potentially unfair terms in contracts with some letting agents. The warning follows the enforcement case last year against Foxtons for breaching the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 (UTCCR). Foxtons agreed to amend some of its terms concerning