Employment Law Explained

Monthly Archives: October 2010

Unfair Dismissal Rights to be Restricted?

Posted on 31/10/2010 by Michael Scutt • 1 Comment

Unfair Dismissal Rights to be Restricted? unfair dismissal politics news

Not so cuddly Dave

According to today’s Mirror, the government is considering (“in leaked plans”) to double the qualification period for acquiring the right not to be unfairly dismissed to two years. At present, an employee needs to have 12 months continuous employment experience in order to be able to challenge the reason for their dismissal.  Without that right, unless there is an issue of discrimination, whistleblowing, trade union membership or health and safety involved, the only challenge available to an employee is if they don’t get paid their notice pay.

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Filed Under: News, Politics, unfair dismissal

Redundancy: Not the End of the World

Posted on 30/10/2010 by Michael Scutt • 4 Comments

iStock 000012068910XSmall Redundancy: Not the End of the World redundancy

Following the Comprehensive Spending Review we now know that 490,000 public sector jobs are to be axed over the next four years .  Mass redundancies look like the order of the day and the misery won’t be confined only to the public sector. The private sector, a good chunk of which relies on the public sector for business, will suffer as well.  The pain that we’ve all been promised is there to be seen and losing your job can be traumatic.

I’ve written on many occasions before about the law concerning redundancy and selection procedures and two articles you can read are  here and here or check out the “redundancy” category on the right hand side.

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Filed Under: Redundancy

What Makes a Good Employment Law Story?

Posted on 29/10/2010 by Michael Scutt • 5 Comments
article 1286828784120 0B924D4F000005DC 927334 636x431 What Makes a Good Employment Law Story? news contracts of employment

Nadine Quashie

There’s no question about it: take a good looking woman, preferably without her clothes, have her dancing (naked, of course), throw in some large sums of money, add a celebrity and a good soundbite from a lawyer and, hey presto, you have a story to fill the paper.  In fact, you have this story.

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Filed Under: Contracts of Employment, News

Angry Airline Pilots and Stroppy Surgeons

Posted on 14/10/2010 by Michael Scutt • 0 Comments

I’ve just written a piece on rudeness at work for the Law Donut blog. It can lead to a lack of productivity, efficiency and, if you’re flying an aircraft at the time, getting lost.

Click here to read it.

Permanent link to this post (40 words, estimated 10 secs reading time)
Filed Under: Miscellaneous Stuff

Good News for a Change

Posted on 13/10/2010 by Michael Scutt • 2 Comments

It’s great news that the Chilean miners are finally being rescued – and quicker than was initially estimated.  It’s great to have a news story with a happy ending as well.

I saw this cartoon in the Daily Telegraph today and couldn’t resist reproducing it here;

telegcartoonscan0001 Good News for a Change cartoons

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Filed Under: Cartoons

Are Redundancies on the Rise?

Posted on 12/10/2010 by Michael Scutt • 3 Comments

jmo1876l Are Redundancies on the Rise? redundancy or pay cuts

The signs for Christmas are everywhere – cards in the shops, pubs seeking bookings for the office party and on television: Strictly Come Dancing and The Apprentice are a sure sign that we’re on the downward run to the annual festival of eating, drinking and making merry.

However, there’s another more unpleasant sign: redundancies may be on the up. At my firm we’ve seen an increase in clients coming in with compromise agreements. Every year companies like to get the dirty business over with before management and HR settle down to a slice of turkey and a mince pie. With rumours circulating about massive public-sector redundancies and the long-awaited Public Spending Review about to be announced next week, I don’t suppose this year will be much different.

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Filed Under: Redundancy or Pay Cuts?

Compromise Agreements and The Equality Act

Posted on 11/10/2010 by Michael Scutt • 3 Comments

Employment Law is a fairly staid and unglamourous area of the law most of the time.  Yes, some of the facts giving rise to disputes can be quite amusing but, in the main, practitioners are bogged down in a mire of statutes, regulations and reported cases. For instance, Laurie Anstis’s blog at Work/Life/Law has just highlighted a major drafting error in s.147(5) (a) of the Equality Act that makes it technically impossible for any solicitor to advise an employee with a compromise agreement settling a claim under the Equality Act.  In Laurie’s words

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Filed Under: compromise agreements, News

Just Done It For Cancer Research

Posted on 11/10/2010 by Michael Scutt • 1 Comment
CIMG37151 300x200 Just Done It For Cancer Research miscellaneous stuff jobsworth

Just About to Cross the Finishing Line

Yes, on Saturday I ran 10k for Cancer Research at Hatfield House.  I made it round in 58.25 minutes without needing oxygen (well, apart from that freely available to everyone) or having to stop for a pee or a fag (I don’t do the latter in fact) or, heaven forbid, to walk.  Not bad for someone the wrong side of 40  and not the most assiduous of trainers either (I blame all this blogging).  1549 other people ran along a great course through lovely countryside.

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Filed Under: jobsworth, Miscellaneous Stuff

The Equality Act: Here at Last – Worth the Wait?

Posted on 01/10/2010 by Michael Scutt • 4 Comments

220px Made in dagenham poster The Equality Act: Here at Last Worth the Wait? sex discrimination equality

Today marks the introduction of the long-awaited Equality Act (EA10), a piece of legislation proposed by Labour and brought in by the current government.  Click here for the BBC’s story on it. Coincidentally perhaps, today also sees the general release of the film “Made in Dagenham” about the 1968 strike by women at the Ford car factory over sex discrimination and is credited with having led to the Equal Pay Act 1970.

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Filed Under: Equality, sex discrimination