All Tax and legislation articles – Page 11
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ArticleTribunal rules law firm must pay out on 13 counts of unfair dismissal
An employment tribunal has ruled that a defunct Newcastle-based law firm must pay 13 former employees 90 days’ remuneration for unfair dismissal after failing to give sufficient notice of redundancy ahead of the firm ceasing trading.Short Richardson and Forth closed on 30 September 2022, before entering into voluntary liquidation on ...
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OpinionBeth Brown: High Court calls into question amendments to contracted out pension schemes
Anyone involved with pension schemes which contracted out on a salary-related basis after 1997 will want to be aware of a recent High Court ruling which could impact their scheme.In Virgin Media v NTL Trustees and others, the High Court held that the absence of a Section 37 certificate invalidated ...
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ArticleWoolworths Group faces charges for underpaying long service leave
Credit: myphotobank.com.au / Shutterstock.comAustralian retailer Woolworths Group and its subsidiary Woolstar Pty have had more than 1,000 charges filed against them by Wage Inspectorate Victoria for failing to make long service leave payments.The charges, which were filed in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, alleged that the group failed to pay ...
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OpinionChris Kisby: Key considerations around overseas working
For many, the idea of working from another country, be that permanently or for a short period, is a very tempting one, but there are considerations for when an employee makes a request to move abroad.It might be that an employer already has an office in the country where an ...
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ArticleTribunal rules Meghraj Group Pension's former owner must pay in £1.8 million
A tribunal has upheld a decision by The Pensions Regulator (TPR) to issue a contribution notice for Anant Shah, the former owner of the Meghraj Group Pension Scheme, to pay £1.8 million into the scheme.The Meghraj Group Pension Scheme is the UK defined benefit scheme of the Meghraj Group, an ...
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ArticleHigh Court rules BBC cannot change pension to cut future benefits
The High Court has ruled that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) cannot modify its £19.8 billion pension to cut future benefits for plan members but can make other changes without employees’ consent.The case explored the treatment of future service benefits under the BBC pension scheme, which provides retirement benefits on ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Should the Flexible Working Bill go further?
When the Flexible Working Bill received Royal Assent last week, many commentators, particularly parental rights campaigners, hailed this as a huge step forward.In a nutshell, the new legislation makes several changes to the way flexible working requests will work in practice, including:Giving employees the right to make two flexible working ...
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OpinionNeha Lugg and David Lorimer: How to make work events that involve alcohol more inclusive
Alcohol-free is fast becoming not only a religious or cultural choice, but a lifestyle choice. There have also been a significant number of alarming headlines demonstrating the role that alcohol has played at workplace events, resulting in harassment or other inappropriate behaviour, and significant reputational harm.Employers should look at workplace ...
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ArticleFlexible Working Bill receives Royal Assent
The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill, which will allow UK workers to request flexible working from day one in a job, has received Royal Assent.Employees now have the right to request this twice a year instead just once. Employers are now required to consider these and provide a reason before ...
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OpinionPaula Squire: The issues surrounding work-from-anywhere policies
With flexible, remote and hybrid working now the norm within many UK businesses, the concept of work from anywhere has begun to take off, with employers fielding increasing requests from workers who want to pack up their laptop and log on from a tropical beach or a new bustling city.This ...
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ArticleTribunal orders Lawcomm Solicitors to pay £13,000 in unfair dismissal case
Family law firm Lawcomm Solicitors has been ordered to pay a former employee nearly £13,000 after a tribunal ruled she had been unfairly dismissed and her contract had been breached after the organisation's failure to make a bonus payment.Sarah Lightfoot-Webber, former head of family law at the Hampshire-based firm, resigned ...
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OpinionStephen Morrall: How flexible working trends have developed since lockdown
With the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill moving closer to becoming law, employees are set to benefit from a positive reform of employment rules which reflect growing trends toward flexible working across the UK.Under current legislation, a person who has 26 weeks of continuous service with their employer can request ...
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ArticleGovernment announces DC pension scheme reforms
Nine of the UK’s largest defined contribution (DC) pension providers have come to an agreement with the government to improve pension schemes.Under the Mansion House Reforms, announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, the providers have committed to allocating 5% of assets in their default funds to unlisted equities ...
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ArticleTribunal orders ABC Engineering to pay former staff unpaid wages and holiday pay
An employment tribunal has ruled that collapsed firm ABC Engineering needs to pay eight former members of staff more than £12,000 for failing to pay holiday entitlements and unauthorised wage deductions.The Warrington-based engineering business entered voluntary liquidation in last September after accruing debts worth nearly £300,000. One month later, eight ...
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OpinionLaura Tracey: New guidance on reasonable adjustments for mental health
Mental health problems are and continue to be a significant concern and employers have not only a moral, but a legal obligation to help protect and support employees who may be suffering from such issues.Employees may find mental health conditions difficult to talk about and even try to conceal them, ...
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ArticleFuture Workforce Alliance introduces digital workplace wellbeing charter
Future Workforce Alliance, a bipartisan consortium of policymakers and sector leaders, has launched the European Charter for Digital Workplace Wellbeing.The charter has been signed by a group of 31 members of European Parliament (MEP), including MEP Drago? Pîslaru, chair of the European Parliament Committee on employment and social affairs, and ...
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ArticleBirmingham City Council unable to pay £760 million equal pay bill
Birmingham City Council is in conversation with the government due to being unable to pay an equal pay claims bill worth up to £760 million.The council has already paid out a total of £1.1 billion to settle equal pay claims over the last decade following a Supreme Court ruling pay ...
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OpinionMartin Williams: Amazon’s term-time contracts come with a new set of problems
The idea proposed by Amazon to offer contracts that revolve around term-time working is an interesting one. At first glance it can seem generous, allowing a degree of flexibility for workers who find school holidays a difficult time to balance work and childcare.However, Amazon is not being totally altruistic. It ...
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ArticleUS Pregnant Workers Fairness Act comes into effect
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) has come into effect from 27 June in the United States (US).Under the terms of the PWFA employers are obliged to provide reasonable accommodations for known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.The act applies to US private and public sector employers ...
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AnalysisWhat impact will CDC pensions have on employers’ retirement provisions?
Need to know: Collective defined contribution (CDC) pensions potentially offer a more sustainable way of funding pensions and reducing pension liabilities for some employers. Their potential to provide a more secure and predictable retirement income for employees could help to close the retirement savings gap that ...