News

In a recent decision, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) clarified the role of externally appointed HR consultants in employment-related procedures. The tribunal initially decided that it was not arguable that two HR consultants, one appointed to investigate grievances and the other to conduct a disciplinary hearing, were acting as the employer’s agents during these functions. … Read more

Teachers in England will receive a 4% pay rise from September, after the Education Secretary accepted in full the recommendations of the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) for the 2025/26 academic year. This marks a significant step towards the government’s goal of recruiting 6,500 additional teachers by the end of this Parliament. The STRB’s … Read more

Case Overview: The tribunal case involved the claimant, C Wood-Hope, against the respondents, Salford City Council and the Governors of Friars Primary School. The hearings were held in Manchester on various dates in February, August, and September 2023. Key Findings: Background: The claimant, a teacher at Friars Primary School, presented complaints of unfair dismissal, trade … Read more

An amendment paper dated 22nd April 2025 has been published, containing proposed amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, which will be considered at Committee Stage in the House of Lords. On 10th October 2024, the Employment Rights Bill 2024-25 was introduced into Parliament. It completed its House of Commons stages on 12th March 2025. Its Committee Stage … Read more

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has confirmed that for there to be a breach of the, Part-Time Workers (Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/1551) a claimant’s part-time status must be the sole reason for the less favourable treatment. In the case of Mireku v London Underground Ltd EAT 57 (29 April 2025), Mr. Mireku … Read more

The case revolves around the interpretation of the definitions of “woman”, “man”, and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 (EqA 2010). The Supreme Court held that these definitions refer to biological sex, excluding trans women holding a gender recognition certificate (GRC) from the definition of “woman” under the EqA 2010 1. The court emphasised that the … Read more

Employment tribunals must carefully distinguish between the legal tests for Worker status and Employee status. The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that a tribunal erred in several respects when determining whether an individual, previously found not to be an Employee, was a Worker. In this case, the Claimant, a dentist, had sold his dental … Read more

When an employer faces claims before an employment tribunal, the tribunal must determine the issues based on what has been pleaded and agreed upon by the parties. The Court of Appeal has ruled that a tribunal is not under a duty to identify and determine a discrimination claim that has not been pleaded or included … Read more

When an employer dismisses an employee, they must establish a fair reason for dismissal under section 98 of the Employment Rights Act 1996. One such reason is “some other substantial reason” (SOSR). The EAT has ruled that an employer’s genuine but mistaken belief that an employee had resigned can, in certain circumstances, amount to an … Read more

Until a new framework comes into force on 6 April 2025, employees do not have a specific statutory right to leave or pay if their baby requires specialist neonatal care after birth. Employees must instead rely on any existing statutory leave entitlements, such as statutory maternity leave, statutory adoption leave, shared parental leave (SPL), or … Read more