Torque Law newsletter – April 2024   Our April newsletter is now available. Please click here to read ..read more

Changes to the Flexible Working Request Statutory Framework Since 2014, employees with at least 26 weeks’ continuous service have had the statutory right to make a flexible working requests, be that a change to their hours, place of work or working days. Employers could push back on such requests provided the refusal is based on one (or more) of the eight prescribed business reasons. From 6 April 2024, the statutory framework for flexible working requests is changing and an updated ACAS Code of Practice on Handling Flexible Working Requests is coming into effect. Key changes from 6 April 2024 ..read more

The 2024 Vento guidelines The 2024 Vento guidelines (which define the ranges for injury to feelings awards in discrimination cases, depending on severity) have been published. Click for details of all the new rates for successful discrimination claims presented on or after 6 April 2024       ..read more

Torque Law newsletter – March 2024   Our March newsletter is now available. Please click here to read.       ..read more

Maternity Leave, Adoption Leave and Shared Parental Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2024 The Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act 2023 was introduced in July 2023. It gave a power for regulations to extend the current right for employees in a redundancy situation on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave to have the right to be offered suitable alternative vacancies in preference to others, so that it would also apply during pregnancy and for an additional protected period. The new rules apply where the relevant leave ends afte ..read more

Carer’s Leave Act 2023 and Carer’s Leave Regulations 2024 If an employee has a dependant with long term care needs, from 6 April 2024 they will be able to request 1 week’s unpaid leave in every 12-month period of employment to care for that dependant. The purpose for the leave is to provide or arrange care for their dependant. The leave that can be taken can be in half day increments or full days up to one week in total for a 12-month period. This right will be introduced from the first day of employment. Employees must give 3 days’ notice as a minimum before taking the carer’s leave, or at le ..read more

Statutory limit on a week’s pay to increase to £700 from April 2024 The new rates and limits for dismissals effective on or after 6 April 2024 have been announced.  With a new limit of £700 for a week’s pay, long-serving employees who are made redundant after 6 April 2024, will be entitled to a statutory redundancy payment of up to £21,000. The revised limits sees the maximum compensation award for ‘ordinary’ unfair dismissal claims rise to £115,115, an easier figure to remember than its predecessor (£105,707). For full details of the revised statutory limits effe ..read more

Torque Law newsletter – February  2024  Our February newsletter in now available.   Please click here to read.   ..read more

What is a Polkey deduction? It will not be of much surprise to hear that an employer should follow the correct procedural steps and policies leading up to an employee’s dismissal. Otherwise, Tribunal may consider that an employee has been unfairly dismissed. However, if this happens and the employee would have been dismissed anyway, the Tribunal can apply a ‘Polkey deduction’ to any compensatory award. This was decided by the House of Lords in the case of Polkey v AE Dayton Services Ltd (1987). A Polkey deduction is when the compensation award by the Employment Tribunal claim in an unfair dism ..read more

When can a Tribunal refuse to allow a litigant to take further part in proceedings due to their conduct? Background A Claimant’s behaviour and conduct being scandalous, unreasonable and vexatious would surely lead to their claims being struck out. Not according to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in the recent case of Hargreaves v Evolve Housing & Support (the First Respondent) and another named Respondent. The Claimant was summarily dismissed by the First Respondent for gross misconduct and brought claims for discrimination, victimisation and unfair dismissal before the Employment Tri ..read more