Will you take all your holiday leave before the end of the year? We’re now at the end of the month and hopefully many of you will now have had the opportunity to take a holiday following the relaxing of lock-down rules from 4 July. However, we expect not everyone will have been lucky enough to get a break and … Read More
Stamp Duty Holiday
Stamp Duty Changes: What do they mean for you? The Chancellor has announced a temporary Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday on residential properties as part of a number of measures that aim to kick start the economy following the impact of COVID-19. What has changed? The government has increased the lower stamp duty threshold to £500,000.00 for property sales … Read More
Brass employees get the compensation they deserve
Employees of Brass Agency contacted us on the 8th December 2019 after the company went into administration and over 50 employees were left without a job. When employees have been made redundant without appropriate information or consultation, and there are 20 or more employees based at one establishment such as a workplace, they can make a claim to an Employment … Read More
Family Law during the COVID-19 pandemic
Court Proceedings (existing and new) and Family Law cases The court system is still functioning and there is strong public interest in keeping the family justice system working during the Coronavirus pandemic. Most hearings can be dealt with by telephone or video conferencing and cases can continue to be progressed by email between Solicitors and their clients. In some situations, … Read More
The property market is back open
This week has provided the property market with news. As long as done safely and following social distancing the property market can essentially reopen. So what has changed? In a nutshell, whilst ensuring all safety precautions are taken, the following: Estate agents can open their offices to the general public. Viewings of properties can take place with the first to … Read More
COVID-19 – Temporary and Agency Employee Rights
With the Government announcing more financial support for those unable to work due to the Coronavirus pandemic, many people are considering what support they are eligible for. But what support can temporary/agency employees get from the government if there’s limited work due to the economic impacts of Coronavirus? And what qualifies as an employment contract? Below we answer frequently asked … Read More
COVID-19 – SSP for ‘Clinically Extremely Vulnerable’ Employees
The Government has issued new regulations relating to statutory sick pay so that employees who have been classed as ‘Clinically Extremely Vulnerable’ by the NHS are now entitled to SSP if they are shielding. For the avoidance of doubt, this is the group of people who should have received a letter from their GP advising them to shield. Prior to … Read More
COVID-19 – Carrying over annual leave
Carry-over of annual leave The Working Time Regulations have been amended to allow for carry-over of annual leave that has not been taken due to COVID-19. This rule only applies to the 4 weeks of statutory annual leave (or the worker’s pro-rata entitlement) that is derived from the EU Working Time Directive. It does not apply to the additional 1.6 … Read More
COVID-19 – Your employment rights – FAQs
Self-Isolating and Sickness I have symptoms of COVID-19 and I am self-isolating – what should I be paid? If you’re self-isolating because you have symptoms of COVID-19, unless you can work from home, you will be “deemed incapable of work” for the prescribed period of isolation. If you’re not working, you will be entitled to SSP or company sick pay … Read More
Furlough leave – what are my rights?
What is Furlough leave? On 20 March 2020, the chancellor announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Through the scheme the government commits to cover 80% of the wages of furloughed workers, up to £2,500 per month. A furloughed worker is someone who remains employed, but is not provided with work. The aim of the scheme is to ensure that employers … Read More
Your house move during the COVID-19 outbreak
As you may have seen, the Prime Minister addressed the nation and informed people of the next necessary steps in the fight against the Coronavirus. If you have not already seen this, the direction from the government is that people must now stay at home and can only leave for specific reasons: · Shopping for basic necessities, such as food … Read More
Going Viral…
Given the ubiquity of news about the coronavirus, I have thought at least twice about whether to blog on the subject, but in the end I think it brings together so many current issues of law, social policy, media (social and mainstream) that it is impossible to resist. As an employment lawyer, I cannot help but be impressed by the … Read More
International Peace Delegation to Imrali – 1 year on
A year on, and not much has changed. It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since I returned from the International Peace Delegation to Imrali, in support of the Kurdish leader Ocalan. Ocalan was finally granted (limited) access to family and lawyers – not long after our delegation departed. But he remains incarcerated and alone and the prospects … Read More
Do the self-employed have any protection from discrimination?
This month our Employment Solicitor, Claire Pegg, looks at employment rights for self-employed individuals. Self-employed individuals do not benefit from the same employment rights that are afforded to employees and workers. In particular, they are not entitled to: • protection from being unfairly dismissed; • Statutory sick pay • Maternity, adoption, paternity or shared parental leave and pay • receive … Read More
An Employment case review with a festive touch
As we have now officially entered the holiday period, I thought it apt to base the case review this month on two holiday claims! Just to add to the overall festive feeling of this month, the first two cases we are looking at originate from the home of Christmas, Finland! TSN v Hyvinvointialan liitto ry (C 609/17) and another case … Read More
Recent Employment cases that can be used in day-to-day practice
November was a plentiful month for interesting cases and principles that can be used in day-to-day practice. So we thought we’d share snippets of as many as we think you can stand, rather than go into the detail. Redundancy and statutory trial periods East London NHS Foundation Trust v O’Connor examined the point at which a statutory trial period began … Read More
10 reasons to make a Will
Writing your Will can be one of those things you put off, or say you need to do but never get round to doing. Having a Will in place is the best way to make sure your wishes are taken care of when you’re no longer around. Here are 10 reasons to make a Will sooner rather than later. 1. … Read More
Employees at Morrish Solicitors have raised over £9,260 for local children’s cancer charity, Candlelighters.
Leeds based, Morrish Solicitors have partnered with Candlelighters for the last 2 years to raise funds to support children with cancer across Yorkshire. The team across 3 offices have walked the 3 peaks, abseiled 115ft and held various raffles, bake sales and even a balloon pop in the office to help with practical, emotional and financial support for children and … Read More
Kostal UK Ltd v Dunkley and ors – Court of Appeal overturned decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal
In our recent blog we look at the Kostal appeal case on Trade Union inducements. Kostal UK Ltd v Dunkley and ors Sadly the Court of Appeal has overturned the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in this case on unlawful inducements. S.145B of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (“TULRA”) says that an employer must … Read More
Women & Equalities Committee is ‘disappointed but not surprised’ to hear examples of large employers putting pressure on employees who pursue allegations of discrimination or harassment in new report.
The Women & Equalities Committee (WEC) of the House of Commons has produced its report on The Use of Non-Disclosure Agreements in Discrimination Cases. Some strong words from the WEC: “We have been disappointed, but not surprised, to hear examples of large employers using the significant resources at their disposal to put considerable pressure on employees who pursue allegations of … Read More
Hospital admitted there were ‘missed opportunities’ to save the life of a 12 month old child
With an increase in the incidence of meningitis in children in the UK; a recently reported article in the Manchester Evenings News is concerning and should be taken as a warning. The full article can be found here. “Dad of baby who died of meningitis pleaded with a doctor to give son a blood test – they replied ‘why?” The … Read More
Morrish Solicitors appoint a new Solicitor in the Employment team.
We’re delighted to have appointed Nicola Williams as an Assistant Solicitor in the Employment department in February this year. Based in our ever expanding Leeds office, Nicola joins us from a reputable York law firm. Nicola attended Lancaster University and obtained a law degree in 2006. She began her legal career in 2010 as a Paralegal in civil litigation and … Read More
Inheritance Tax – it’s here to stay
Like it or not Inheritance Tax (IHT) is here to stay. It’s been around for decades and is colloquially known as “Death Duties”. It is a tax on the value of your estate when you die. The rules relating to IHT have changed considerably since 2007. Effectively now the threshold at which IHT is chargeable on the estate of a … Read More
Morrish Solicitors partner with Napo to offer members a dedicated service
Morrish Solicitors is the new legal partner for Napo offering circa 8,000 members a bespoke legal service, including a dedicated helpdesk, offering support and advice on a variety of legal services. With offices across West Yorkshire, Morrish Solicitors is renowned for its partnerships with trade unions, working closely with the Transport Salaried Staffs’ association (TSSA) and Equity to name a … Read More
The Price of Justice
It seems such a long time ago now that Claimants had to pay fees to bring their claims. It was 26 July 2017 that the fees regime was abolished as being unlawful. We remember it well, here at Morrish Solicitors – the moment the email arrived confirming the Unison decision, our employment team erupted with a spontaneous cheer! The decision … Read More
Major changes to Divorce Law on the way
In November of last year I wrote asking whether it was time to change the outdated divorce laws (in place since 1973) in England and Wales, by introducing “No Fault” Divorces. Many think the current fault-based divorce system exacerbates stress and tension at an already highly stressful time. There were concerns that it exposed children to the damaging impact of … Read More
We are family! Or are we?
The definition of “family” is changing. It used to be the nuclear unit of husband, wife and 2.4 children. Although the divorce rate has been going down recently, numbers of cohabitants are rising. And the belief you can be a “common law” husband or wife still exists, despite it being a myth. So what constitutes a family and is this … Read More
Sleep in shifts – the pay debate
After a satisfying hard day’s graft at work and having successfully completed another torturously packed train journey home, it is always a lovely feeling to be able to share the company of loved ones during an evening. We get to have a hot shower, put on some comfy pyjamas and enjoy some delicious dinner whilst binge-watching as many thrilling tv … Read More
‘Workers are risking GDPR penalties by forwarding work emails to personal accounts’
Sixty-four per cent of UK workers admitted to breaching rules by forwarding work emails to their personal email accounts in the months following the introduction of GDPR.
Michael Parker v the Chief Constable of Essex Police 2018 EWCA 2788 Civ
Whilst this case concerns the TV personality Michael Barrymore’s claim for damages against the police for his false imprisonment following his (unlawful, as the police admitted) arrest in 2007, it has relevance to employment law and specifically ‘Polkey’, an often misunderstood principle (and an often negative one for Claimants). Michael Parker, stage name Barrymore, claimed £2.4 million in damages (allegedly … Read More
