In this edition, we provide an update on the current status of the Employment Rights Bill, marking one year since its introduction to Parliament. We also examine the government’s proposals to broaden pay gap reporting under the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, and discuss two recent Employment Appeal Tribunal decisions: one offering guidance on when international employees may acquire UK employment rights, the other a helpful reminder on key aspects of procedural fairness in disciplinary processes.
Since Skadden’s October 2024 update on the UK Employment Rights Bill, the bill has continued to progress through Parliament and is expected to become law before the end of 2025.
The government has remained committed to all the key proposals in the bill, despite pressure from certain parts of the business community and amendments suggested by the House of Lords (most notably, a proposal to add a six-month qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection, in place of the government’s proposal to remove the qualifying period altogether). A late amendment to the bill in July introduced a further amendment to prohibit the use of nondisclosure agreements in cases involving discrimination and harassment, rendering such provisions null and void. More recently, there was political speculation about whether certain provisions in the bill would be removed or weakened when Angela Rayner MP and Jonathan Reynolds MP, two key ministers...
Mumbai, Parents who have lost their young son in a railway accident will not use such a tragic incident to make a false claim of compensation, the Bombay High Court said on Friday, granting relief ...