Equal pay claimants can choose as comparators colleagues working at one of their employer’s establishments in a different location provided they are on “common terms”; the Supreme Court has now confirmed that the purpose of this test is only to exclude colleagues whose terms are different for geographical (or possibly historical) reasons.  The ruling also … Read more

The Court of Appeal has made clear that employers may be able to expect individuals, particularly those holding high profile positions, to accept some limitations on how they express their beliefs in public on matters of particular sensitivity. The extent to which limitations are justified will be fact-specific, depending on striking a fair balance between … Read more

The Employment Appeal Tribunal in Allay (UK) Ltd v Gehlen has highlighted the need for employers to provide substantial training on discrimination issues both at regular intervals and on an ad hoc basis if it becomes apparent that prior training was ineffective or has been forgotten. Employers face a high threshold in terms of quality … Read more

The European Court of Justice has ruled that direct disability discrimination may be established if the criterion for less favourable treatment is inextricably linked to disability.  The difference in treatment does not have to be in comparison with a non-disabled worker: it can be between disabled workers, for example where treatment differs according to different … Read more

Last year was full of the unexpected. In this bulletin, our Hong Kong employment team reflects on some key themes that emerged last year and considers how these will keep Hong Kong employers busy in the year ahead. Health and safety As the global pandemic continues, worker health and safety will continue to dictate working … Read more

Happy New Year! Hopefully 2021 is a brighter and better one for all. Our first Asia Employment, Pensions and Incentives update of 2021 covers: the recent Supreme Court decision in Thailand, that found that forwarding confidential work documents to a personal email account amounted to disclosure, even though there was no evidence that the documents … Read more

Currently interim relief is only available where an employee alleges that the principal reason for their dismissal is whistleblowing, trade union membership or certain employee representative activities; it is not available in discrimination cases – yet. If a tribunal decides that the employee’s claim is ‘likely to succeed’ (ie, has more than just a reasonable … Read more