In this edition, EMW Picton Howell takes an initial glance at the recently published Equality Bill which is due to come in to force in 2010. The Bill will now go through Parliament and may well be in a very different form by the time it emerges as enforceable law. However, due to the wide-ranging changes the Bill is looking to introduce to all aspects of discrimination law, it is important for employers to understand what those changes may be in order not to be unprepared when the Bill comes into force.
The High Court has handed down a very interesting decision in the case of Gibb v Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust relating to high settlement payments made to public sector employees. Mr Justice Treacy, hearing the case, found that the agreed payment was “irrationally generous” and thus beyond the scope of the trust’s authority to act in the public interest.
Following on from EMW Picton Howell's successful seminar on immigration law in April, also included is guidance to employers in relation to the necessary procedures for checking employee documentation, as is required by the recent changes in legislation aimed at preventing illegal working. In the usual “on the case” section is focused on equal pay issues, firstly reviewing the use of comparators and, secondly, the relevant time limits for commencing equal pay proceedings.
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