HR Articles

Since the Supreme Court’s decision on 26 July 2017 that the existing scheme of Employment Tribunal fees was unlawful, the future for employment claims has been in a state of flux. In our article in September 2017

We reported on the EAT’s decision in Royal Mail v Jhuti back in the summer. Unhappy with the EAT’s decision, Royal Mail appealed to the Court of Appeal.

Some international students from outside the EEA are allowed to work in the UK, depending on the conditions of their visas. Where they are permitted to work, students can work part time during their studies, full time during vacation periods and any period of time between completing their studies and the expiry of their student visa. Employers wishing to take on such students should be aware of the additional right to work checks required.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced that it will drop requirements for data controllers to notify the ICO of data processing activities but will retain a fee regime, when the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force from May 2018.

As we have previously blogged, UK law does not do enough to protect migrant domestic workers in the UK from abuse, exploitation and modern slavery.

The ECJ has held in Ypourgos Ethnikis Pedias kai Thriskevmaton v Kalliri that a minimum height requirement of 170cm imposed by the Greek Government for men and women wishing to join the police force, amounted to indirect sex discrimination and could not be objectively justified.

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling this summer that Employment Tribunal fees were unlawful, the government has announced its fees refund scheme: individuals will be refunded their original fee along with an interest of 0.5% calculated from the date of the original payment up until the refund date.

Tier 2 sponsors are required to fulfil certain duties throughout the duration of their sponsor licence. Failure to comply with any of the sponsor duties, is likely to lead to a licence being suspended or in a worst-case scenario revoked and sponsored workers seeing their leave curtailed.

The Court of Appeal has recently overturned a High Court’s decision that a school’s gender segregation for pupils aged 9 and above was not discriminatory (HCMI v The Interim Executive Board of Al-Hijrah School).

A Bill has been published that will entitle parents who suffer the death of a child to take paid bereavement leave. Currently, employees only have a right to take a “reasonable” amount of unpaid time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependent (which could include making arrangements after the death of a child).