UK: Government announces plans for post-Brexit employment law reform

Update: On 12 May the Government published consultation documents including further details of the proposed reforms – see our post here. The Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch MP, has today issued a written statement announcing that the Government will replace the current sunset in the Retained EU Law … Read more

Banking on people in an age of digital transformation: Banks and social shifts

Banks and social shifts: their impact on staff. Has the social and cultural landscape shifted in a way that benefits employees or their employer? Are employees more mobile, or can organisations find new ways to retain top talent? With a focus on finance, Christine Young, Jenny Andrews and Adam Hylton explore how digital transformation, fostering … Read more

UK: Court of Appeal rejects technical early conciliation arguments

The Court of Appeal has ruled that an employer could not have claims from multiple claimants struck out on the basis of a technical breach of tribunal rules concerning Acas Early Conciliation certificate numbers. Early conciliation had been completed in respect of all of the claims, but the EC certificate number given on the claim … Read more

UK: new government guidance on positive action and ethnicity pay gap reporting

Enabling equality of opportunity is a key moral and strategic opportunity for any organisation, but the uncertain boundaries around lawful positive action and the complexity of ethnicity reporting has discouraged their adoption.  The Government has now published guidance in the hope of giving employers confidence to implement these steps appropriately. Positive action guidance (here) In brief, … Read more

UK: tribunal ruling supports possibility of indirect discrimination claims from those who “suffer alongside” a group with a protected characteristic

A recent tribunal ruling could encourage indirect discrimination claims from a broader category of claimant.  The first instance, preliminary ruling applies the decision of the European Court of Justice in Chez Razpredelenie Bulgaria (see here) to hold that, where individuals with a protected characteristic are indirectly discriminated against, a claimant who does not have the … Read more

UK: Government confirms no legislative changes to cover the menopause

The Government has confirmed previous announcements that it does not intend to amend the law to enhance protection for workers going through the menopause.  Its formal response to the report of the House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee published on 24 January 2023 confirms that: it will not bring the dual discrimination provisions … Read more