Equality: Coalition promises culture change

Helena Laughrin and Robin Wolfenden review the key employment-related recommendations in the government’s Equality Strategy ‘The government views making pay transparent as the first step to reducing the gender pay gap. It intends to work with businesses and others to develop a voluntary scheme for gender pay reporting in the private sector.’ On 2 December …
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Agency Workers: Temporary measures

Mark Levine and Jennifer Millins examine the new rights to which agency workers will be entitled from this October ‘Agency workers can bring a claim in the employment tribunal against the agency and/or the hirer if their right to equal treatment under the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (AWR) has been infringed.’ The Agency Workers Regulations …
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Employment Tribunals: A shotgun marriage

The proposed merger of the courts and tribunals could make current dissatisfaction with the service even worse, argues Stephen Levinson ‘There really seems little substance to the idea that users are having difficulty accessing the system. If anything, a cynic might suggest that recent government rhetoric makes it more likely that the policy over the …
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Team Moves: Tide turns in poaching case

A firm of insurance brokers has failed in its claim against a group of employees who joined a rival firm, reports Gary Freer ‘In Lonmar Global Risks v West & ors, in alleging that the team members should have disclosed to it what each knew of the intentions of the others to leave and join …
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Age Discrimination: Time is money

David von Hagen looks at a recent EAT decision on whether employers can justify dismissing a worker to avoid paying enhanced pension benefits ‘In Woodcock v Cumbria PCT, Underhill J said that the adoption of the costs plus rule tends to involve parties and tribunals in artificial game playing, including one of “find the other …
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Fair Pay Review: Multiple problems

Keith Corkan summarises the findings of Will Hutton’s interim report on public sector pay ‘A recurring theme of the Hutton report is the influence of many features of private sector remuneration on the public sector.’In early December, Will Hutton, the former head of the Work Foundation, issued his interim report on pay in the public …
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Public Sector Efficiency: Dealing with the deficit

Local authorities are considering an array of methods to cut employment costs following the Comprehensive Spending Review, including some innovative alternatives to mass layoffs, comments Mark Hammerton ‘The financial impact of the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review is now clear: an estimated £83bn of savings will need to be achieved by 2015. How and where public …
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