All Tax and legislation articles – Page 5
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Article
Tribunal finds Oxford University professors should have had employee status
An employment tribunal has found that two creative writing professors who were employed as gig workers by Oxford University should have had employee status.Alice Jolly and Rebecca Abrams worked at the university since 2008 and 2007 respectively, and both taught the Master of Studies degree in Creative Writing.In 2022, they ...
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Opinion
Hannah Mugleston: Rights and support for employees undergoing IVF treatment
Pregnant women have a legal right to paid time off from the workplace to attend antenatal appointments. MP Nickie Aiken is campaigning for the same rights to be extended to those undergoing IVF treatment. Her private members bill regarding this will have its second reading in March 2024.Aiken is also ...
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Article
Addison Lee drivers reach settlement in workers’ rights dispute
Three drivers employed by private hire firm Addison Lee have reached an out-of-court settlement in a long-running dispute around holiday pay and the minimum wage.The claim was originally brought by three drivers, represented by law firm Leigh Day and members of trade union GMB. More than 600 drivers have subsequently ...
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Article
Easyjet, Estee Lauder and Greggs fail to pay national minimum wage
Estee Lauder Cosmetics, airline Easyjet and food chain Greggs are among more than 500 employers which failed to pay their lowest-paid employees the national minimum wage.An investigation by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) between 2015 and 2023 found that breaches by 524 employers caused more than 172,000 employees to ...
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Opinion
Lee McIntyre-Hamilton: Changes to national insurance and the impact on employment
The new year has already brought some welcome news for employees, with the cut in employee national insurance contributions (NICs) from 12% to 10%. As of 6 January 2024, the cut means that all employees who currently pay NIC will benefit.The extent of the savings will depend on an employee’s ...
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Article
30% of female public sector staff have had flexible working requests denied
Just under a third (30%) of women working in schools, hospitals, care homes, town halls, police stations and other public services have had requests to work flexibly denied, according to research by trade union Unison.Its survey of 44,065 women working in the public sector also found that 25% of those ...
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Opinion
Kerry Hudson: Change in flexible-working arrangements for 2024
Employees will have more rights to ask for flexible-working arrangements under new legislation coming in this year.Workers with 26 weeks of employment can ask for flexibility on how, where and when they work. Where employers previously did not need to consult with workers before giving their decision, they will now ...
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Article
2Gether Support Solutions staff awarded Covid bonus payment
Hundreds of staff employed by NHS outsourcing firm 2Gether Support Solutions will now receive a more than £1,600 lump sum payment for working during the pandemic after undertaking industrial action.2Gether Support Solutions is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the East Kent NHS Trust, which runs the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in ...
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Opinion
Sarah Bogues: How to become a fertility-friendly employer
Employers play a critical role in the fertility journey of their employees. When employers get it right, the loyalty they can cultivate among their staff is immense. As the Fertility Treatment (Employment Rights) Bill makes its way through Parliament, it is an opportune time for employers to reassess their approach ...
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Article
Tribunal finds AstraZeneca scientist with mental health disability was wrongfully dismissed
An employment tribunal has found that a former AstraZeneca scientist with a mental health disability was wrongfully dismissed.James Muir, a senior scientist who had been developing the pharmaceutical firm’s recently approved cancer drug Truqap, had worked there since 1998. He suffered from chronic depression and anxiety and had taken extended ...
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Opinion
Helen Burgess: How to help break mental health stigma in the workplace
Time to Talk Day (1 February 2024) is an annual awareness day that focuses on starting conversations about mental health. The workplace can be fertile ground to get conversations started around mental health to help break the stigma and support employees who may be struggling.On the legal side, an employee ...
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Article
Tribunal rules in favour of Tayside Aviation staff in redundancy case
An employment tribunal has ruled that Tayside Aviation failed to follow correct redundancy procedures as it entered administration last year.The Dundee flight school gathered a group of 22 employees who were on the premises in a conference room for a meeting on 20 April last year. Tayside Aviation’s previous finance ...
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Opinion
Nabila Mallick: Employers must take menstrual health in the workplace seriously
While there is no specific protection in law, there are various provisions that indirectly protect women from discrimination or harassment relating to periods and the menstrual cycle. These include protections from disability discrimination where women have diagnosed medical conditions related to menstruation and protections against sexual harassment, such as where ...
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Article
FCA manager loses full-time work from home claim
A woman who launched a tribunal claim after her request to work from home full time was rejected has lost her case.Elizabeth Wilson worked as a manager at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and had been working entirely from home since the Covid-19 pandemic struck in early 2020. When the ...
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Analysis
What does the government's pots-for-life plan mean for employers?
Credit: P Maxwell Photography/Shutterstock The pension pots-for-life plan takes the onus off of employees to keep track of their pensions as they move jobs. Clarification is needed on how employers would manage the process of putting employees’ contributions into many different pension pots. Pots for life ...
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Opinion
Emma Clark: Will 2024 see a focus on women’s health in the workplace?
Employers are waking up to women’s health and our legislation is not keeping up with the workplace. In light of that, 2024 will likely see renewed focus on the need to support women's health in respect of menstruation, menopause and fertility.The younger generation seems less embarrassed about informing colleagues that ...
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Article
Tribunal rules in favour of Arjowiggins Scotland staff in redundancy case
An employment tribunal has ruled that 300 former Arjowiggins Scotland employees will each receive around £4,000 in compensation after the employer went into administration in 2022.The former paper mill workers based in Stoneywood, Aberdeen were members of trade union Unite. Through Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, they made protective award claims against ...
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Opinion
Ben Daniel: How can employers help solve absenteeism in the office?
In the UK, tackling absenteeism in the office requires employers to understand and fulfil their legal obligations regarding the health, safety, and welfare of their employees. The law mandates that employers must do what is reasonably practicable to protect their employees' health, safety and welfare, including mental health, as well ...
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Article
Tribunal finds Association of Chartered Certified Accountants employee was discriminated against
A social media marketer who was told she “had a baby at the wrong time” and was not transferred into a role that matched her responsibilities in a restructuring exercise has won a maternity discrimination claim at an employment tribunal.Ms Yongo, had been working at the Association of Chartered Certified ...
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Article
Government introduces holiday pay and entitlement reforms
The UK government has implemented reforms to simplify holiday pay calculations and entitlement as per the Working Time Regulations.These changes include the definition of irregular hours and part-year workers in relation to the introduction of the holiday entitlement accrual method and rolled-up holiday pay, the introduction of a method to ...