Employment

Almost £20bn of claims have been made in respect of furloughed workers ahead of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme closing to new applicants

New 'management information' also highlights that more than 2.5m claims have been made to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme

Government launches review of employment rights for survivors of domestic abuse

Views sought on availability of current rights, such as flexible working and unplanned leave, and on how employers can help tackle economic abuse of survivors

Employment case law round up

Lower-paid workers need a post-pandemic settlement based on ‘more respect, higher pay, and better conditions at work’, says Resolution Foundation

New report includes calls for improved enforcement of labour market rules and greater control over working hours and pay intervals

Government launches consultation on HMRC powers to recover payments made under the Coronavirus Job Retention and Self-Employment Income Support schemes

Proposed new legislation will also provide HMRC with powers to charge a penalty where it can demonstrate deliberate non-compliance on the part of the recipient

Gender employment gap in Scotland fell by almost 2 per cent between 2009 and 2019

New statistics also show that disability employment gap for 2019 fell by almost 3 per cent from previous year

Employment case law round up

Northern Ireland Executive announces proposals for parental bereavement leave and pay

Workers who suffer the loss of a child will have a statutory entitlement to two weeks’ leave and, in most cases, a statutory payment, says Minister

Court of Appeal considers whether an Employment Tribunal made error of law in refusing disabled claimant’s adjournment request in order to seek further medical evidence

Morton v Eastleigh Citizens Advice Bureau [2020] EWCA Civ 638

Lowest-paid employees are ‘bearing the brunt’ of coronavirus economic crisis, with almost a third having either been furloughed or lost jobs

New Resolution Foundation report on impacts of coronavirus on the labour market also finds nearly half of self-employed workers are not intending to take up government support scheme

Employment case law round up

Third of UK workforce are in ‘key worker’ occupations for purposes of accessing childcare during coronavirus lockdown

New ONS analysis also shows that 15 per cent of 'key workers' are at moderate risk from coronavirus because of health condition

Agricultural Wages Board for Northern Ireland agrees 2020/2021 agricultural pay rates

New rates to take effect from 1 April 2020

TUC issues advice to employees on whether they have right to refuse to work because of safety concerns related to coronavirus

New information published in response to Prime Minister's announcement that workers who can’t work from home, and who don’t work in industries that are closed down, should return to work

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme should be extended for three months, with further extensions conditional on minimum pay and job quality standards, says think tank

New report urges government to ‘strike a balance’ between protecting workers and their incomes, supporting compliance with social distancing restrictions, and protecting viable businesses and the economy

Employment case law round up

Minimum wage underpayments affected more than 400,000 people in 2018/2019, says Low Pay Commission

Government has made progress in recent years, but more can still be done to protect the most vulnerable, says Commision chair