2021 has already been a significant year for the interpretation of worker status. In February, Uber lost the final round of a claim brought by some of its drivers and last week the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (“IWGB”) lost its appeal on behalf of some of Deliveroo’s riders. Both cases considered what constitutes a “worker” for key employment rights.
In the “Uber” case the Supreme Court ruled that Uber drivers should be treated as “workers” and thus granted certain employment rights such as national minimum wage and paid holidays. In the “Deliveroo” case, the Court of Appeal ruled that Deliveroo drivers should not be treated as workers and thus able to bargain collectively via a trade union. These judgements may seem contradictory, but both were based on specific and differing facts and considered different aspects of the legal test for worker status.
Waterfront’s Employment Associate Jamie Webster looked closely at the recent Supreme Court ruling in an article for Lawyer Monthly.
In February 2024 the then government published a statutory Code of Practice on dismissal and re-engagement, and this came into force on 18 July 2024. “Dismissal and re-engagement”, as it is called by employment lawyers, is a tool used by employers
… on 17 July 2024 the new Labour Government’s legislative agenda was made public as part of the King’s Speech. The Speech itself was light on detail (as is often the case), but the Government released a briefing note setting out more of the substance on their plans, which represent the biggest shake-up of employment law in at least 14 years.
Half of 2024 has already passed and there has been a flurry of reforms to the employment landscape even before the impending election, which may result in even more wide-ranging changes. These have largely focused on family leave, although there have also been updates to the law around flexible working, which we have commented on previously…
At Waterfront, our specialist employment & HR lawyers advise on settlement agreements every week but for our employee clients, signing such an agreement can be a once-in-a-lifetime event. If you have been offered a settlement agreement or you are finding the process confusing or daunting, we are here to help. What…