- Protect, the UK whistleblowing charity established to promote ethical standards of conduct and compliance with the law, will be 30 years old next year – and the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) is only five years younger. Standards of conduct and what we mean by whistleblowing have evolved in that time. 20 years ago, […]
- There has been a significant shift in individual and societal openness around sex and gender identity in recent years. The debate is complex and inevitably there are a range of views and opinions on the issues. Several recent employment tribunal cases have been brought by claimants who believe that a person cannot change their sex. […]
- There is no denying that the UK is submerged in a cost of living crisis, with Shelter reporting an increase of 45% (since April 2022) in renters being behind with, or consistently struggling to pay, their rent (an increase to almost 2.5 million renters). It is no surprise that many are turning to second (and […]
- As an employment lawyer mainly practising in Scotland who is originally from Northern Ireland, I take a keen interest in how the procedure and the law differs across the legal systems of the UK and how devolution impacts the landscape. Indeed, the separate legal systems and the doctrine of precedent can occasionally produce unusual results, […]
- POLONIUS: What do you read, my lord? HAMLET: Words, words, words. (Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2) Neurodiversity Celebration Week took place between 21 and 27 March. The following week was Autism Acceptance Week, culminating in World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April. This means neurodiversity has featured heavily on social media recently. During Neurodiversity […]
- Vexatious claims hit the headlines last year after one claimant who was hit with a costs order for bringing yet another claim of discrimination against an unsuspecting employer went on to succeed in his appeal against the Employment Tribunal’s decision to strike out his claim. Despite previous tribunal judgments (against different employers) recording a strong […]
- Working from home has taken centre stage over the last two years. In many industry sectors, it has been necessitated by the pandemic and the restrictions on interaction and travel. It has also evolved to become the preferred way of working for vast numbers of office workers. It isn’t limited to office environments. In April […]
- The recent EAT case of Pitcher v Chancellor Masters And Scholars Of The University of Oxford (EA-2019-000638-RN; EA-2020-000128-RN) provides interesting commentary on two important issues for employment lawyers: The extent to which the EAT will interfere with first instance decisions. The law on justification for direct age discrimination. The appeal involved two linked cases both […]
