See the latest employment law and other HR news

18th June 2015 Average weekly wages, excluding bonuses, rose by 2.7% in the three months through to April, compared with growth of 2.3% in the three month period to March, reports ft.com. The increase exceeded economists’ expectations, who had forecast an increase of 2.5%. This latest rise marks the fastest wage growth since February… Read More

16th June 2015 An Employee who arrived for work smelling of alcohol was unfairly dismissed. An employment judge has held that the summary dismissal of a healthcare assistant for coming to work smelling of alcohol was unfair. The judge held that a reasonable employer would not have treated attending for work smelling of… Read More

15th June 2015 Dismissal of Christian employee for expressing negative views on homosexuality was discriminatory (ET) An employment tribunal has held that a Christian nursery employee was directly and indirectly discriminated against by her employer on the grounds of her religion or belief when it dismissed her for expressing negative views about a… Read More

12th June 2015 Limited number of vacancies offer flexible working Research conducted by Timewise has found that 46% of people employed in the UK want to work flexibly. However only 6.2% of UK job advertisements with salaries of £20,000 or more mention flexible working. Karen Mattison MBE, CEO of Timewise, stated “Businesses are… Read More

30th March 2015 Advisory services provided by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline will transfer to Acas from 1 April 2015.  Acas will provide free and confidential advice on a range of issues, including: The national minimum wage. Working for an employment agency. Working hours, rest breaks and holidays. Acas advice can be… Read More

20th March 2015 National Minimum Wage Increase October 2015 National Minimum Wage: Rates will increase on 1 October 2015 to:   Year 21 and over 18 to 20 Under 18 Apprentice* 2015 (from 1 October) £6.70 £5.30 £3.87 £3.30 2014 (current rate) £6.50 £5.13 £3.79 £2.73   *The rate applies to apprentices aged 16… Read More

4th November 2014 The UK “living wage” – an hourly rate based on the amount needed to cover the basic costs of living – has been raised by 20p to £7.85 per hour.  The London rate will increase to £9.15 per hour. The voluntary wage – set by the Living Wage Foundation – is now… Read More

7th October 2014 Fairways are sponsoring the Perth and Kinross Council Business & Enterprise month for the third consecutive year. Liz Jackson, Managing Director of Fairways HR business support and recruitment specialists, said: “In our sector we know the importance of providing the right advice and support to allow firms to concentrate on… Read More

26th September 2014 New Ante-Natal Rights just around the corner!   As from 1 October 2014, fathers/partners may take unpaid time off to accompany a pregant woman on up to two ante-natal appointments. Employees will be eligible to take advantage of the new right straight away without accruing a minimum period of service.… Read More

25th September 2014 National Minimum Wage: Rates will increase on 1 October 2014 to:   Year 21 and over 18 to 20 Under 18 Apprentice* 2014 (from 1 October) £6.50 £5.13 £3.79 £2.73 2013 (current rate) £6.31 £5.03 £3.72 £2.68   *The rate is for apprentices aged 16 to 18 and those aged 19 or over… Read More