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As far as employment law is concerned, two bills in particular stood out in the Queen’s speech: the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill and the Children and Families Bill. Continue reading
One thing is clear from the Supreme Court’s deciding that Leslie Seldon’s law firm could force him to retire – and it’s something that his firm and others may not want to hear: it is going to prove a very expensive and difficult to repeat the trick. Continue reading
The test of whether a dismissal is unfair will soon be determined by a lawyer sitting alone in an employment tribunal – a misnomer if ever there was one – rather than by a lawyer in the tribunal chair, along with two lay members who have expertise in industrial relations/human resources as representatives of employers and employees. Continue reading
It was a surprise to hear pensions minister Steve Webb on the radio this week floating the idea of something called a ‘defined ambition’ pension. Apparently (although details are somewhat thin on the ground) the government is keen on exploring models for pensions that are less costly for employers than a defined benefit (DB) plan, but more secure for employees than a defined contribution (DC) equivalent. ‘Defined ambition’ is one idea being worked on that might fit the bill. Continue reading
There’s been a lot of talk this week about the arcane mechanisms used by companies to pay top executives, and by top executives to avoid paying tax.
HR leaders – alas, some might say – don’t generally fall into the pay bracket where these become personal issues. But they are a professional concern. Continue reading
Why has it taken the best part of two years for Apple to address the mass of damning media reports on working conditions at Foxconn factories in China? The supplier, which churns out iPads and iPods for export, has become notorious for the number of employee suicides and injuries at its factories.
I read an interesting viewpoint this week from Simon Walker, Director-General of the Institute of Directors, who wrote in The Daily Telegraph that the biggest winners in tribunal cases are the lawyers. A remark always guaranteed to get a lot of nods – particularly from those who’ve been on the wrong end of an employment lawyer. Continue reading
Employment laws exist for good reasons. Without them, employees would be at the mercy of unscrupulous employers. Indeed, employment laws only came into existence because employees were being exploited too often by ruthlessly selfish employers. Continue reading
When I stood for election as a student representative on my faculty board, a central plank in my ‘manifesto’ was that examiners’ reports should be open to all students. I had discovered that they did a report every year and their comments included helpful advice on what candidates had misunderstood. Continue reading
The issue that prompted most comments online was the reported threat by chief treasury secretary Danny Alexander to appeal directly to employees affected by the reform of public-sector pensions, thus going over the heads of union leaders. Continue reading
