Employment and Trade Union Law
In IWGB v DWP and BEIS (2020) the IWGB union challenged the UK government over the question of whether it had adequately implemented EU law, as found in section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA), to protect the healthy and safety of UK workers. The issue was that the ERA specifically provided protection … Continue reading Health and Safety Rights for Workers
In the wake of a national public health emergency workers across the economy have been told that for their own safety and to minimise the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus that if they are able they should work from home. It is an eminently sensible exhortation but the reality is that those in sectors … Continue reading How the Employment Rights Act is not fit for purpose in a world of lockdowns
If the Fixed Term Worker Directive, the EU law that provides for employment protection for fixed term workers, is to be believed "contracts of an indefinite duration are, and will continue to be, the general form of employment relationship between employers and workers." I have to say I have some scepticism of that statement and … Continue reading Fixed term employee dismissals
For union representatives in PCS, which has a majority membership of civil servants, there is limited need to be aware of the protections provided by the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, or TUPE as it is more commonly called. But for union representatives more generally this is a key area upon which … Continue reading IWGB secure important judgment on TUPE and Workers
The biggest employment law story this week is the Supreme Court's decision in Pimlico Plumbers v Smith, a case I have alluded to previously. To answer the question in the title of course Mullins is nothing of the sort. Before we get into the specifics it's worth remembering how the case originated. A person (Gary … Continue reading Charlie Mullins: Peoples Hero?
It is only less than two months since Don Lane, a worker for courier firm DPD, died after DPD fined him £150 for having the audacity of attending a necessary hospital appointment. As a 'self-employed' worker workers like Lane have very few effectively no employment rights. For example, fining a worker for attending a disability … Continue reading Pimlico Plumbers Visit the Supreme Court
