Employment

New figures show 10 per cent increase in number of Employment Tribunal appeals over last year

Increase driven by a 40 per cent increase in Sex Discrimination claims, and a 63 per cent increase in Equal Pay claims.

Employment for May-July 2013 up by 0.2 per cent on previous three months

New Office for National Statistics figures show that 80,000 more people of working age in employment.

Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) to close at end of 2013

Minister for Immigration Mark Harper says that government will not open any further SAWS for Bulgarian and Romanian workers because, at time of unemployment in UK and EU, there should be sufficient workers from within those labour markets to meet the needs of the horticultural industry.

‘Workers will have to raid savings to take case to tribunal’, says TUC

Warning following government announcement that it will go ahead with proposals on reform of fee remission system, including that individual or household with £3,000 in savings will not be entitled to fee remission from 7 October 2013.

Government decides to go ahead with single system of fee remission

Ministerial statement by Justice Minister Helen Grant says that, following consultation, new measures - that include capital test for remission of fees and greater contribution from those paying a fee - will come into force from 7 October 2013 across a range of courts and tribunals

Employment case law round up

Working Time (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2013

New statutory instrument amends provisions implementing EC Directive 2003/88 in relation to annual leave for agricultural workers.

TUC warning on proposed changes to TUPE legislation

Union says that removal of TUPE provisions where services are outsourced will lead to erosion of pay and conditions for low-paid staff in sectors such as cleaning, social care and catering.

Workless households for regions across the UK, 2012

Office for National Statistics publishes figures that show Glasgow and Liverpool were in the top five workless areas for the ninth consecutive year.

Number of UK workers earning less than the living wage rose from 3.4m in 2009 to 4.4m in 2012

Resolution Foundation report, 'Low Pay Britain 2013', finds that 25 per cent of women and 15 per cent of men were paid below the living wage in 2012.

Reports that Conservatives considering ways to increase minimum wage

Newsnight political editor says that measures being considered include tax breaks to companies paying above minimum wage and requirement for larger companies to pay more than minimum.

TUC lodges complaint about treatment of agency workers with European Commission

Government is failing to implement EU Temporary Agency Workers Directive properly, leading to tens of thousands of agency workers being paid less than permanent staff despite doing the same job, says Union.

Employment case law round up

Three remaining Remploy factories to close

Remploy has announced that no acceptable offers had been made for its furniture business and its sites in Blackburn, Sheffield, and Neath will close, with 160 disabled employees at risk of compulsory redundancy.

‘Does it pay to care?  Under-payment of the national minimum wage in the social care sector’

Resolution Foundation report shows that real pay levels of domiciliary care workers do not reflect the hours they work - in practice often lose at least £1 an hour because they are not paid separately for the time spent travelling between appointments and because home visits often take longer than the time allocated by the employer.

‘Supporting working carers: the benefits to families, business and the economy’

New Department of Health report makes recommendations highlighting the economic and social benefits of supporting carers in the workplace.

Employment case law round up