Yesterday the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (Scheme) will be extended for a further four months until the end of October 2020. As we currently understand the position, there will be no change to the way in which the Scheme currently operates until the end of July, however, it is anticipated […]

The Government has released the much anticipated guidance on working safely during the coronavirus pandemic. The guidance is broken down into different sectors and sets out the steps employers and employees should take in the workplace to follow the social distancing rules and prevent the spread of coronavirus. All employers who are planning to start […]

Following the Prime Minister’s address to the country last night, the Cabinet Office has issued guidance on staying alert and safe (social distancing) together with its plan to rebuild the UK. As we have seen over recent weeks with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, this guidance will likely be updated as the days go by; […]

The Law Commission has recently published a report on employment law hearing structures, with the aim of addressing the arbitrary time limits in the employment tribunal (ET) and the jurisdictional conflicts that currently exist between it and the civil courts. Whilst the report is heavy reading, the important proposals worthy of note are: There should […]

In the recent case of B v Yodel Delivery Network Ltd, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) gave guidance on how to determine whether an individual was a ‘worker’ for the purpose of the EU Working Time Directive and the UK Working Time Regulations 1998. In this case a delivery driver, working for Yodel, made […]

What would another weekend in lockdown be without yet another revision to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (Scheme) guidance? On Thursday the government issued further revisions to the Scheme guidance for employers and employees, together with updates to the guidance on how to calculate 80% of salary and make a claim to HMRC under the […]

The Government has confirmed that employees who have been placed on furlough but were planning to take a period of paid parental leave should have the statutory pay to which they are entitled during such leave (e.g. 90% of normal pay during the first six weeks of maternity leave), calculated on the basis of their […]

The Court of Appeal has ruled in the case of Lowri Beck Services Limited v Brophy that ambiguity in a dismissal letter can be a factor which allows a claimant suffering from dyslexia to be granted an extension to the normal limitation period for bringing a claim. Mr Brophy had worked for his employer since […]

With the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (Scheme) imposing a very clear prohibition on furloughed employees doing work and generating profit for their employer, we are being asked by many employers what this entails and if it means they cannot even contact their furloughed employees. As with all things related to the Scheme, we are getting […]

The much awaited HMRC portal for employers to make claims under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (Scheme) is now open and can be accessed via the Government Gateway here. The Government has also published a calculator that will assist employers to calculate 80% of furloughed staff wages; this can be found here. The Scheme guidance […]

Many of our employer clients are now utilising the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Consequently, one of the most common questions we are being asked is: what happens to employees whose wages dip below the National Minimum Wage (NMW) following the 20% reduction to wages when on furlough? Almost all workers and employees in the […]

In employment tribunal claims such as unfair dismissal and breach of contract, compensation for a successful claim is based on financial loss. However, in discrimination claims, the position is different. Whilst employees can be awarded compensation for financial loss, they can also claim an award for ‘injury to feelings’ arising from the discriminatory conduct under […]