Since the Brexit deal having come into effect, the UK is no longer bound to adhere to EU employment law. Hence, the UK government is in talks to change UK employment law in December 2023 which will affect maximum working hours, legal holiday entitlement and breaks during shifts. What is the current legal position? Currently, in the UK working hours are limited to an average of 48 hours a…
Eight key changes for employers to know about this April. Covid-related changes – 1 April 2022 The following changes will take effect on 1 April 2022: Self-isolation:those with Covid symptoms will be encouraged to “exercise personal responsibility” and show consideration to others, but will not be required, nor advised, to stay at home. Covid testing:free lateral flow and PCR testing will end for the general public (PCR tests will remain…
Return to more normal business operations, improved market confidence and greater demand for staff all drove a further marked increase in recruitment activity in June. Permanent staff appointments expanded at the quickest rate since the survey began in October 1997. Unprecedented increase in demand for workers The upturn in demand for workers gathered further momentum in June, with overall vacancies rising to the greatest extent in the near 24-year…
On 5 July 2021, the Prime Minister announced the UK government’s plans to lift the remaining Covid-19 legal restrictions in England from 19 July 2021 following a further review of the health crisis on 12 July 2021 (with varying timeframes across the other nations of the United Kingdom). Should the lifting of restrictions be confirmed on 12 July, it is expected that there will no longer be legal limits on social contact…
Summary At the time of writing, the Government has published its provisional roadmap out of lockdown and employers are beginning to consider when and how employees may return to the workplace. This article considers some potential options and possible risks relating to a return to work. Can employers force employees to return to work after lockdown? It is a general principle of English employment law that employees must comply…
Key takeaways National minimum wage – The annual increases in national minimum wage rates will apply, taking the minimum salary of those aged 23 or over to GBP 8.91 per hour. For further information, please see our update here. Increase of limits of tribunal awards – The following increases in tribunal awards will take place. In cases involving dismissal, the new rates will apply where the effective date of termination falls on…
The following list highlights some important points for employees to be aware of regarding their rights in respect of redundancy. Redundancy pay Employees on furlough leave retain the same rights to redundancy payments. Employees with two years’ service are entitled to a statutory redundancy payment. This amounts to 0.5, 1 or 1.5 week’s pay for each full year the employee has worked for the employer capped at 20 years, the amount dependent on the employee’s age Employees will receive 0.5 week’s pay for each full year they…
The UK government is considering relaxing its lockdown restrictions, and our clients are starting to model what a return to the workplace may look like. Katten has set out some of the common questions we have been getting, and the employment law considerations, in case of use. 1. How to Come Off Furlough? An agreement was needed from an employee to cease all work in relation to their employment…
It is common for many employees to send, read and reply to work emails at all hours of the day and night, including weekends. This change in work culture developed in recent decades and has accelerated with the advent of smartphones. But is this a breach of employment law? The short answer is that ‘it depends’ and we need some test cases to clarify the situation, not least in…
Introduction What might a no-deal Brexit mean for UK employment rights? What could employers do now to prepare? And what might the future hold in a no-deal scenario? Prime Minister Boris Johnson is clear that he would be prepared to leave the European Union without a deal if necessary and the current legislation commits the United Kingdom to leaving the European Union at 11:00pm on 31 October 2019. Thus,…
