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Employees’ Rights & Benefits
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Union loses discrimination case
A trade union has lost a discrimination case brought by female local authority staff. The women, who are members of the GMB, claimed that the union had indirectly discriminated against them in the way in which it recommended them to settle equal pay claims against Middlesbrough Borough Council. They complained that the union did not tell the claimants how much compensation they were likely to recover if they were to pursue their claims through an Employment Tribunal.: In June 2006, the Employment Tribunal upheld claims brought by five test claimants, but a year later the Employment Appeals Tribunal reversed that ruling.
Fri, 1 Aug 2008 • Read more
Harman's law a bid for zero tolerance
Harriet Harman, the Equalities Minister, has confirmed plans for a single Equality Bill, bringing together all the legislation on discrimination of the past 35 years. It would cover age, race, disability and gender orientation.: As expected, there will be a renewed push for equal pay in employment, though measures fall short of mandatory pay audits for all major employers, which Ms Harman is understood to have campaigned for within Government (News, May 2008).
Fri, 1 Aug 2008 • Read more
Age laws could see benefits slashed
New age discrimination laws could cause a slump in provision of health insurance as an employee benefit, experts have warned.: As part of the new Equality Bill announced by Harriet Harman, the Equalities Minister, older people are protected against discrimination in goods and services.
Fri, 1 Aug 2008 • Read more
Extended maternity leave proposal comes under fire
A backlash against extended maternity leave has come from an unlikely combination of employers’ groups and prominent women’s rights campaigners.: Concern is growing that, with a maximum 52 weeks’ maternity leave, compared with just two weeks’ paternity leave – which is often not taken up – women’s prospects in the workplace will suffer and employers may be reluctant to employ women of child-bearing age.
Fri, 1 Aug 2008 • Read more
Childcare voucher providers engage in price challenge
The childcare voucher system has been shaken up with the emergence of fierce price competition.: Kiddivouchers has begun offering vouchers for a fee of just 2.5% of the voucher’s face value with other providers offering them at 5% or 6%. The company is also proposing to allow parents to register themselves by web or phone rather than relying on HR departments and application forms and order them directly, with renewals done automatically. It promises that there is minimal involvement for the HR department, so ordering, distribution and record maintenance is done by the employee.
Sun, 1 Jun 2008 • Read more
Another u-turn gives new rights
The Government has announced an about-turn by conceding new rights to agency staff, just six months after it blocked a European Union initiative on the issue.: Agency workers and other temporary staff will gain the same protection as other employees after 12 weeks’ service. Payroll Worldreported last month that it was considering the change.
Sun, 1 Jun 2008 • Read more
Pay audits ‘by next April’
The long awaited Equality Bill could be published by the end of April, and is set to include provisions for equal pay audits, and use of procurement by public sector bodies to promote equal pay practices in the private sector.: Audrey Williams, partner at law firm Eversheds, told the Payroll World Annual Update Conference on 10 April that deputy Labour leader and Justice Minister Harriet Harman is ‘pushing hard’ for much stronger regulations to reduce inequalities in pay.
Mon, 21 Apr 2008 • Read more
Employer held liable for worker’s suicide
An employer has been held liable by the House of Lords for the suicide of one of its employee’s engineers after a long court battle. The ruling is likely to raise awareness of the psychiatric fall-out of personal injury claims, which the case shows is receiving greater sympathy from the legal system.: The case centred on the suicide of Thomas Corr working at IBC Vehicles, following a serious accident at work in 1996. On top of the physical injuries, Mr Corr began to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and six years later killed himself by jumping from the top of a multi-storey car park. He had no previous history of psychiatric problems, the court heard.
Wed, 2 Apr 2008 • Read more
A church organist is an employee
An employment tribunal has ruled that a church organist is an employee of the Church of England and will have full employment rights. The landmark ruling concerns an organist and choirmaster who was dismissed and then brought a claim for unfair dismissal. But church authorities said he was not an employee.: The ruling means that, after a year’s service, organists in the Church of England may bring a claim for unfair dismissal against the vicar and the parochial church council if sacked without good reason.
Fri, 28 Mar 2008 • Read more
Employers adopt global approach
Nearly half of multinational firms in a major survey take a global approach to compensation. The study of 168 international employers by HR consultancy Mercer found that 45% of firms take an almost exclusively global approach to compensation, while 39% adopt a local approach and 16% a regional approach.: Darrell Cira, principal with Mercer in Philadelphia USA and a leader of the study, said that while global schemes for senior executives are well established, employers are now extending the approach to other employee populations. ‘The trend is changing rapidly, especially among US multinationals,’ he said. ‘As these employers continue to focus on facilitating talent mobility and reinforcing common organisational cultures and values over the next two years, they will need to globalise pay programmes for their management and professionals.’
Fri, 28 Mar 2008 • Read more
Staff win an Israeli transfer
A trade union has won a key case preserving the rights of employees affected by a transfer of operations to outside the European Union.: The GMB union claimed that its members at Midlandsbased manufacturer Newell had rights to continued terms and conditions following sale of part of the business to the Israeli-based company Holis Metal Industries.
Wed, 5 Mar 2008 • Read more
£5k ceiling ended on pay floor claims
Tougher penalties for rogue employers who refuse to pay the national minimum wage may be introduced following a Government crackdown.: Those who commit the worst cases of noncompliance or who are persistent offenders would be tried in a Crown Court and could face an unlimited maximum fine. In addition, inspectors will be given greater powers to assess financial information to check complaints from workers.
Fri, 4 Jan 2008 • Read more
Stalemate over agency rights
British Ministers in Europe were among a number of member states who blocked legislation giving new employment rights to agency workers.: Business secretary John Hutton successfully drummed up support to block the proposed directive ahead of the vote last month. He said Britain was supported by other member states such as Germany and Malta who had also expressed concern. The legislation will not be discussed again until 2008.
Fri, 4 Jan 2008 • Read more
Annual appraisals: a waste
British workers think their annual appraisals are a waste of time because their bosses are not honest, according to a new survey. The YouGov poll revealed that workers do not trust their boss to be honest, or to take much notice of what had been discussed.: Nearly half of respondents did not believe that their bosses were honest during the process and another quarter of respondents said that they felt their managers saw such reviews as a ‘tick box’ exercise.
Fri, 4 Jan 2008 • Read more
Turned down for being pregnant
A woman who said she was turned down for a shop assistant’s job because she was expecting her second child has won her sex discrimination case.: The Employment Tribunal has awarded Caroline Tobin, from North Lanarkshire, £3,463 in compensation.
Fri, 30 Nov 2007 • Read more
Woman who was 'too young' wins her case
A membership secretary of an exclusive London club has become the first person to win a discrimination claim for being told she was too young to do the job.: Megan Thomas claimed she had been dismissed by her employers at the Eight Members Club in the City of London because she was not old enough to deal with members of the club.
Fri, 30 Nov 2007 • Read more
Fresh allegations for troubled pizza chain
Fresh allegations of staff exploitation continue at Domino’s pizza chain after BBC 2’s Newsnight featured Domino’s staff making claims of low pay.: Payslips shown to BBC’s Newsnight programme showed that one former employee of Domino’s in Wolverhampton ended up earning negative wages because of pay deductions.
Wed, 31 Oct 2007 • Read more
City law firm wins age discrimination case
An employment tribunal has found in favour of law firm Freshfields in a case brought by a partner who claimed age discrimination.: Mr Bloxham’s case had alleged unfairness stemming from changes to the firm’s pension arrangements. The company had operated a generous ‘pay as you go’ pension scheme for partners which allowed retirement with consent from 50-54 and without consent from 55.
Wed, 31 Oct 2007 • Read more
Hutton pledges crack down on pay abuses
A Government crackdown on employers who exploit vulnerable workers was promised by Business Secretary John Hutton at last month’s Trade Union Congress.: Employment agencies will face a legal crackdown to stop them exploiting workers, the punishment for which will be unlimited fines. The minister told the congress that he would double the number of inspectors in the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, and empower them with greater investigatory powers.
Mon, 1 Oct 2007 • Read more
Directors avoid hiring women
Some 22% of male company directors revealed in a survey that they would avoid hiring young women.: The survey for the Equal Opportunities Commission showed a fifth of male directors evade hiring women who are of child bearing age.
Mon, 1 Oct 2007 • Read more
