Updated 12, 13 November 2020 The guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has now been updated to set out the rules under the scheme extension from 1 November 2020; links to the latest versions are available here.  These largely reflect the details already announced and much of the technical detail of the scheme remains … Read more

The Chancellor has just announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, or ‘furlough’, recently extended until 2 December, will now be extended to the end of March 2021 for all parts of the UK. The scheme will continue to provide for employees to be paid 80% of their salary for hours not worked (up to … Read more

Updated 3 and 4 November 2020 The Prime Minister’s announcement on Saturday 31 October of a planned new national lockdown from Thursday 5 November to Wednesday 2 December (subject to parliamentary approval) was accompanied by a decision to extend the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for a month to cover the lockdown period, and a … Read more

Following the announcement that three local Covid alert levels will be introduced from Wednesday 14 October, the Government has published new guidance for those identified as clinically extremely vulnerable who were advised to shield during the Spring lockdown. The guidance notes that due to the measures to reduce transmission now in place, the need for … Read more

An employment tribunal has ruled that a Christian employee’s beliefs that gender cannot be fluid and that an individual cannot change their biological sex or gender were worthy of respect in a democratic society and could therefore be protected beliefs under the Equality Act 2010. (Higgs v Farmor’s School) The tribunal found on the facts … Read more

On Friday 9 October HM Treasury announced that the Job Support Scheme will be extended to support all UK firms legally required to close as a direct result of local or national coronavirus restrictions (including businesses required to provide only delivery and collection services from their premises). Details are set out in a factsheet with … Read more

Regulated individuals may not be able to rely on a reasonable expectation of privacy in relation to private messages on social media platforms if the messages suggest a serious breach of professional standards. The Court of Session (Inner House) has upheld a decision that police officers could have had no reasonable expectation of privacy in … Read more

On 2 October the Government published further details of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (Job Retention) Bonus announced in July along with the Treasury Direction underpinning the scheme. The initial announcement set out that a one-off (taxable) payment of £1,000 would be available to UK employers for employees for whom they have made a valid … Read more