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Small firms warned about risk of equal pay claims
An employment lawyer is urging the UK's four million small business owners to ensure their salary systems are fair, following a glut of equal pay claims in the public sector. Martin Edwards, Head of Employment Law at North West law firm Mace & Jones, says he fears the raft of high profile equal pay disputes in councils and hospitals could trigger sim...
News | 24 Nov 2009
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Small firms warned about risk of equal pay claims
One particular council in my area is trying to cut workers pay to balance things out rather than increase those on lower salaries. This is causing all sorts of problems including industrial action because they do not have the funds to compensate all of the unskilled labour on an equal scale. In some cases they are informing workers that they are likely to receive an 8k pay cut!! sounds to me as if this Equality Bill is going to be an expensive business on...
Comment | 24 Nov 2009
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Survival of the fit note?
...by the law or face the consequences. This is the first case of its kind if employers continue to break the law it will not be the last." 34086 Electrician allowed to display cross in van A Christian electrician who faced possible disciplinary action has been allowed by his employer to display a small cross in his van. WDH said that it did not allow employees to display any personal representations in its vehicles, although they were free to do so upon their person. The employee has now been told that disciplinary action against him has been dropped and he can keep the cross, attached vertically...
Magazine issue | 5 Jul 2011
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Grinding to a halt: Why Government policy risks bringing business to a standstill
...e is not allowed to hamper the Government's plans for improving health and safety. It is our understanding at IOSH that the HSE will take forward the recommendations in the report that directly affect health and safety, with the remainder falling to other relevant government departments. However, a small number of recommendations do not fit into the remit of one single government department. In this case, the `implementation review team' is working with the relevant departments to ensure their progression. www.workplacelaw.net Comment IOSH to this consultation will depend on its nature and the re...
Magazine issue | 4 Jan 2011
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ETs on the rise
...y saying this. Somebody needs to. 9 "As a nation, we need to invest adequately in prevention. Prevention pays. We want to see Lord Young advocate that investment in prevention is what saves lives and money and make clear that there has to be a re-prioritisation in Government if this is to happen." small firms having to do the same kind of assessments over and over again to get on to clients' tender lists. There is a lot more that can be done like this and it would make sense if organisations with our experience, particularly because we are Third Sector / Big Society orientated, were asked to do mo...
Magazine issue | 1 Sep 2010
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Celebrating 35 years of the Health and Safety at Work Act
...w.workplacelaw.net Comment Such an investment pays serious homage to the huge popularity of these sites, especially as Facebook is not even Russia's most popular one. With 3.5 billion minutes spent on Facebook each day worldwide it is no wonder there's no time to talk. Despite this, `The Voice of Small Business 2009' survey by BT Business showed that 56% of small firms opted for personal customer interaction (face to face) as opposed to 21% for phone, 15% for email and 5% direct mail. Only one in five use social networks to `reach out,' proving that face to face interaction in business is not dea...
Magazine issue | 7 Jul 2009
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Employment law is changing - but don't tell anyone how
...t ers mb me for nse po rates res ls ty tai nted ori de ou e pri for Disc se form or post: Workplace Law Group, 2 Floor, Daedalus House, Station Road, Cambridge CB1 2RE Featuring the VERY BEST of the 9th annual Facilities Management Legal Update Conference and Dinner The drafting of the European Small businesses Act, which aims to reduce the weight of regulation that small businesses currently have to operate under and will be finalised in June. Günter Verheugen, EU Enterprise Commissioner says that while big businesses find it easy to get their voices heard in Europe, smaller companies have be...
Magazine issue | 13 May 2008
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Mug’s game? Excessive risk aversion
...ionella control, asbestos plans, manual handling, personal protective equipment, driving at work, Facilities Manager Overkill or common sense? Last Christmas a property management firm advised the Department for Work and Pensions that ceiling and wall decorations posed a health and safety risk. A small Christmas tree was fine as long as new lights either with a 12-month warranty or tested in the past year were used. Earlier this year a pensioner was thrown off a Cardiff bus because he was carrying a tin of paint. New health and safety rules governing public transport list paint as a "hazardous ar...
Magazine issue | 1 Jul 2006
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H5N1 Bird Flu: Are you playing chicken with your company’s future?
...en affected so far the "ratio of domestic chickens to people is ten to one". They also smoke heavily and so are more liable to suffer from respiratory disease. Given the billions of poultry across Asia and the amount of people exposed to them on a daily basis, the numbers who have been infected are small. So is fear outweighing reality? Speculation taking over from fact? Maybe ultimately those questions, though they should be asked, are redundant. Even if fear does outweigh reality, can a business really afford not to listen and not to plan? Peter Powers believes not: "The cost of planning for this...
Magazine issue | 1 Mar 2006
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The year of living dangerously
...of the law. My somewhat pessimistic view, is that the insurers will take on the business, and look to the failure of provision of suitable FRA as a reason not to pay out in the event of a claim. Having spent some time as an Fire Safety Inspecting Officer, my experience is that around 10 per cent of small businesses have a FRA and most of these are a very poor tick box approach, completed by persons with very little knowledge of Fire Safety. Admittedly, some circumstances in very low risk premises allow for this approach, but many do not. This itself brings back the thorny question as to whether or ...
Magazine issue | 1 Dec 2005
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Face facts: how much do you really know about disability legislation?
...ustry (DTI) Disability Rights Commission 13, Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) Downing College Cambridge DSC Communications EMI Employers' Forum on Disability Emprise Services ERMS UK European Commission Eversheds LLP Exhall Grange School Football Aassociation (FA) Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Fox Williams Glaxo Smith Kline Health and Safety Laboratory Hertfordshire County Council 31 27 20 8 26 8 13 2 7 7 19 33 13 33 31 19 13,18 3 27 8 13, 31 8 26 26 6, 31 18, 28 19 8 27 8 18 8 8 7 3, 19 8 20 13 20 8 8 27 The Labour Party reaffirmed its commitment to corporate killing l...
Magazine issue | 1 Oct 2004
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Sweeping changes
... escape A new International Organisation for Standardisations (ISO) technical report has found that lifts may be viable escape options when evacuating buildings. The findings could have implications for people who have difficulties using stairs, such as the disabled, the elderly, pregnant women and small children. 28384 Fit notes `failing to cure sick note Britain' Neither doctors nor employers really know what to do with the new `fit notes', according to Jim Lister, Head of Employment at law firm, Pannone. Since 6 April, fit notes have officially replaced the traditional sick notes and allow GPs ...
Magazine issue | 1 Jul 2010
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Open for Business
...ou have finished with it. www.workplacelaw.net Latest | Legal calendar Legal calendar Important diary dates for the months ahead... MAy 2010 6 May The UK General Election of 2010 will take place on Thursday 6 May. The Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats along with a host of other smaller parties will be fighting for 650 seats, four more than currently exist because of constituency boundary changes. To secure an overall majority, a party must win at least 326 seats. If no party succeeds in doing so, the result will be a hung Parliament. The next Parliament will assemble on 18 M...
Magazine issue | 4 May 2010
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The Diversity Dilemma
...tation The Limits of the Work Stress Concept Dr David Wainwright, a senior health lecturer, argued that the term `work stress' was "The epidemic of work stress that dates from the mid-1980s cannot be explained exclusively in terms of worsening working conditions. The actual changes are quite small and also a longer perspective reveals that work used to be much harder than it is today. From my perspective, the origins of the work stress epidemic lie in a generational change in resilience caused by a heightened sense of physical and psychological vulnerability and the tendency for the problems...
Magazine issue | 2 Nov 2009
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It’s a WRAP
...It's a WRAP. IEMA accredited training from Workplace Law IEMA Associate Certificate* The course is taught in blocks of two to three days in the classroom over three consecutive weeks. 06 LEGAL CALENDAR Key legislative dates for winter 2011/12. heaLth and safety, fM and enViROnMent uPdate 07 NEWS Small business recycling charter launched, and Osborne hints at climate change climb down. 30 15 COMMENT The Tribunal System can be easy prey for those with less agreeable, or even downright dishonest, aims says employment lawyer, Gordon Turner. 14 27 STAFF BEHAVING BADLY Dealing with the party season,...
Magazine issue | 2 Nov 2011
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Internships – Are you breaking the law?
...ed that too few senior roles are held in organisations by women, ethnic minorities or other For more information call 01223 431075 Visit recruitment.workplacelaw.net "The provisions of the Equality Act 2010 seem to be firmly in the Government's sights as part of this drive to reduce regulation on small businesses." P.15 3 www.workplacelaw.net workplace law health and safety editorial Comment from the Editor ... Workplace Law Group 110 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 1LQ T. 0871 777 8881 F. 0871 777 8882 Managing Editor Sara Bean Sub Editor Alex Davies Online Community Manager Gavin Bates Design Gar...
Magazine issue | 3 May 2011
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Same old: has health and safety really changed after the Young review?
...d Safety, Simon Toseland, puts it) `the bonfire of the health and safety regulations', it does tackle some of the elements of health and safety that have long been overdue for a change. It includes a call for the accreditation of health and safety consultants, an easing of the regulatory burden for smaller organisations, and the consolidation of existing legislation. We look in more depth at the details in the feature beginning on p.18, including experts' views of the review, and the opinions expressed in the Workplace Law forums. Aside from addressing the over-regulation of health and safety among...
Magazine issue | 1 Nov 2010
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Dealing with bogus claimants
...n management issues employers should consider when dealing with an employment dispute. LL Fo y u R Pd 20 a 10 te d booking line: 0871 777 8881 buy online: www.workplacelaw.net Please quote reference 1843 when booking. 15 COMMENT Absence and sick leave is a serious matter which can heavily impact small businesses, but, says Alex Cheatle, there is much advice available. "Your corporate reputation begins with your employees; they act as brand ambassadors for the firm." P.29 3 www.workplacelaw.net Mock employment tribunal - in-house Workplace Law's Mock Employment Tribunal is a highly interactiv...
Magazine issue | 1 Mar 2010
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The world in your hands?
...lth and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 for its failure to provide and maintain a suitable barrier around the boundary of the quarry, which is situated behind the brickworks. istockphoto.com NEWS IN BRIEF Mental health support lines launched The Government has announced new dedicated advice lines for small businesses as part of an overhaul of support for people with mental health conditions. Nine occupational health advice line pilots have been launched, giving employers access to occupational health professionals, and direct employers to advice and services. 25397 The deaths of two members of the p...
Magazine issue | 8 Jan 2010
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Changes to Workplace Law Magazine
... were found to be present at three locations. A risk assessment had been carried out in May 2001 which set out simple and periodic checks that should have been carried out on Kepak's domestic water system, but which did not happen. 22209 Company fined £25,000 for roofer's death The HSE has warned small companies to take their responsibilities seriously, after a man fell through the roof of a DIY superstore in Wigan and later died. David Battisson from CRN Contracts Ltd in Birkenhead was working on the roof of The Range store when he fell ten metres to the floor through a PVC light. CRN Contracts ...
Magazine issue | 1 Sep 2009
