A maternity rights charity called ‘Pregnant Then Screwed’ has carried out a survey into dads and other parents who may take paternity leave. The findings have raised concerns and there is a strong argument to say paternity rights and benefits should be improved. 8 in 10 dads said that their employers are not doing enough … Read more
The Department for Education (DfE) has published an updated version of its statutory guidance to create ‘Keeping children safe in education 2022’. This guidance will come into effect from 1st September 2022. The changes to the previous document include: Additional information about domestic abuse; The importance of schools talking to parents and carers regarding a child’s access to … Read more
The Fawcett Society has released a new report on menopause and the workplace, published in April 2022. The report delves into women’s experiences at work and is the largest representative survey of menopausal women conducted in the UK. It says change is needed urgently as workplaces are failing menopausal women. Its key findings show: One in … Read more
Sickness absence increased last year following the end of the furlough scheme official figures show. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the sickness absence rate in the UK in 2021 rose to 2.2%, from a record low of 1.8% in 2020; this is the highest it has been since 2010, when it … Read more
Presidential Guidance on employment tribunal awards for injury to feelings has been issued for claims presented on or after 6th April 2022. The Addendum outlines the following updates to Vento bands which have been adjusted to take account of the RPI measure of inflation: A lower band of £990 to £9,900 for less serious cases. … Read more
In White v HC-One Oval Ltd [2022] EAT 56, the EAT held that the employment tribunal was wrong to determine that a claim for unfair dismissal had no reasonable prospect of success because the employee had volunteered for redundancy. In September 2018, care home operator HC-One Oval Ltd announced it was reducing the number of … Read more
Background We have received a number of enquiries from clients regarding an issue that has arisen following the teachers pay freeze in September 2022. The issue relates to teachers’ pensions and, in particular, the calculation method for the ‘best consecutive three years in ten’ average salary. In cases where there is no change of pay, … Read more
The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal in unsuccessful proceedings for misuse of private information and breach of confidence which arose in relation to a former employee’s personal emails that were sent from a business email account. The email account was used to receive enquiries about the employer’s services. The judgment emphasised that the … Read more
Compensation limits for certain tribunal awards and other statutory payments will rise from 6 April 2022. In cases involving unfair dismissal, the new figures will apply where the effective date of termination falls on or after 6 April 2022. The increases are based on the September 2021 retail prices index (RPI) which increased by 4.9% … Read more
Agreement has been reached on rates of pay applicable from 1 April 2021. The new pay rates are uprated by 1.75% and this is backdated to 1 April 2021. The new pay rates are included in Annex 1 of the NJC letter. Please click HERE to view the letter.
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