News

On this page you will find the latest news on employment law, HR and health & safety matters. They are updated regularly and you will find new content here on a weekly basis.

Latest news

21 February 2012

Data protection changes on the horizon

The European Commission has signalled that Data Protection laws could face a radical shake-up in the next few years.[...]
16 February 2012

Diamond Jubilee public holiday- to give or not to give?

The Government announced way back in May 2010 that Tuesday 5 th June 2012 will be a special public holiday for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.[...]
07 February 2012

Council sacks workers by picking names out of a cereal bowl

Edinburgh City Council has recently come under fire for implementing an unconventional redundancy selection process.[...]
25 January 2012

Employee makes a grave error

An employee from Brookville, Pennsylvania has made a fatal error by trying to get away with an unauthorised absence from work by pretending that his mother had died.[...]
24 January 2012

Increase in unfair dismissal qualifying period to affect only new employees?

As we reported on 24 November last year, on 6 April 2012 the qualifying period for unfair dismissal will increase from one to two years.[...]
24 January 2012

Dismissals made in error cannot be retracted

In a recent Court of Appeal case, CF Capital plc v Willoughby, the Court held that a dismissal letter sent to an employee in error could not be withdrawn by the employer.[...]
23 January 2012

Supreme Court ruling in offshore workers’ holiday battle

Offshore oilrig workers have lost their legal battle over holidays in a Supreme Court judgment that the RMT Union has described as “a slap in the face”.[...]
20 January 2012

LAW’s Donald MacKinnon interviewed on catholic midwives case

The case concerns two midwives at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow who, following an internal change to procedure for patients undergoing terminations, were required to supervise the care of abortion patients on maternity wards.[...]
13 January 2012

Olympic guidance for employers

Unless you’ve been living on Mars for the last few months, you cannot fail to have noticed that one of the biggest events of the sporting calendar is arriving on our doorstop this summer.[...]
06 January 2012

Polish doctor lands highest ever discrimination award

A Polish hospital consultant has been awarded a record sum of just under £4.5m by an employment tribunal.[...]
04 January 2012

Employment Law: what to expect in 2012

With the holiday season over and our thoughts turning to losing the holiday weight, we at Law at Work thought it would be useful to remind you about what we expect to be happening in the world of employment law in 2012. [...]
23 December 2011

Tribunal Compensation Limits Increase

New legislation has been passed which will increase maximum employment tribunal awards from 1 February 2012.[...]
19 December 2011

LAW’s Donald MacKinnon makes radio and TV debut

Director of Legal Services at LAW, Donald MacKinnon, has made his radio debut on BBC Radio Scotland’s popular Newsdrive show.[...]
15 December 2011

Government tribunal fees proposals unveiled

The Ministry of Justice issued a consultation document on 14 December 2011 setting out proposals to charge fees for employment tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal.[...]
15 December 2011

LAW case appears in employment law casebook

LAW Head of Litigation, Richard Woods, has been published! Followers of employment law will no doubt be aware of the highly regarded IDS Handbooks which give detailed guidance on employment law issues.[...]
13 December 2011

Government extends pensions deadline for small businesses

The Government has announced a welcome relief for small businesses over the implementation of the pensions “auto-enrolment” scheme due to come into effect next year.[...]
09 December 2011

Stormy weather guidance

The hurricane force winds which hit Scotland and northern England on Thursday 8 December left many businesses reeling with staff either unable to get to work, or having to leave early to get home. [...]
08 December 2011

Christmas party guidance- avoid a blue Christmas this year

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: 12 drunken employees, 11 sexist jokers, 10 crates of booze bought, 9 copier mishaps, 8 leering managers, 7 brawling blokes, 6 cupboard lovers, 5 bullied workers, 4 broken bones, 3 drunk drivers, 2 promised promotions, and a MASSIVE Christmas party headache![...]
08 December 2011

Judge too old insists ageing rocker

A 60-year-old musician from New York at the centre of an age discrimination lawsuit is attempting to get the judge handling his case replaced because he's too old.[...]
07 December 2011

It’s beginning to look a lot like… bad weather, lost business and stranded workers.

FAQ on how to avoid a frosty workplace and have an 'ice winter.[...]