Employment

Northern Ireland Economy Minister announces new £20 million scheme to support company directors affected by Covid-19 pandemic

New scheme will provide one-off taxable grants of £1,000 to eligible company directors whose projected taxable income for 2020/2021 is less than £50,000

Bill introduced in Parliament to address the gaps in the government’s financial support measures introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic

Shadow Minister highlights that millions of excluded citizens that reached out for help have found that that they have been 'left by the wayside'

Government announces plans to consult on steps that should be taken so that domestic abuse survivors can better exercise their existing employment rights

Business Minister also confirms that a working group of employers, representatives of domestic abuse victims and trade unions will be created to develop practical solutions to implement support in the workplace

Seven out of ten requests for furlough from working mothers have been turned down following latest school closures

TUC calls for government action to promote rights under existing furlough rules and a new legal right for parents and carers who face disrupted childcare to access the furlough scheme

Employment case law round up

UK-EU post-Brexit trade deal poses threat to employment rights which government must work to address, says TUC

Union calls on government to give guarantees that no existing employment rights will be changed or watered down, and to be prepared to match improvements in EU employment law

Households ‘teetering on the brink of financial ruin’ as coronavirus support cliff edges loom, says Shadow Chancellor

Labour Party urges Chancellor to fix Britain's broken safety net and tackle the root causes of income insecurity

TUC reminds employers they can furlough working parents with childcare difficulties during school closures

Union body also calls on government to give self-employed working parents automatic access to the SEISS

Employment case law round up

Court of Appeal rules that an Employment Tribunal has jurisdiction to cap a costs order, by taking account of ability to pay, when order is likely to exceed £20,000

[2020] EWCA Civ 1752

Almost three million people may have been excluded from the CJRS and SEISS, yet the government failed to evaluate the schemes or make any substantial changes before extending them

Select Committee also highlights that HMRC does not know the actual level of fraud and error in the schemes and has prioritised speed over transparency and ensuring value for money

Number of ‘employments’ furloughed stood at 2.4 million at 31 October 2020, a reduction of 73 per cent since the peak in May 2020

New HMRC statistics also show that, at 13 December 2020, a total of 1.7 million claims had been made for the third tranche of the SEISS

Employment case law round up

Insecure workers are three times more likely to have been made to work while ill during COVID-19

In light of new research findings, Citizens Advice says that government must fast-track its plans to create a one-stop shop for employment rights

Government announces extension of Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to the end of April 2021

Eligibility criteria for UK-wide scheme will remain the same as now and employers will continue to be paid 80 per cent of workers' salaries for hours not worked 

DWP enters legally binding agreement with EHRC committing to improve equality and diversity in the workplace

Action taken on recommendation of Employment Tribunal which found DWP employee experienced direct discrimination on the basis of age and race, racial harassment and victimisation

Senior President of Tribunals provides Justice Committee with update on performance of Employment Tribunals during coronavirus pandemic

Letter to Committee Chair warns that, despite 'innovative and robust' recovery measures, waiting times for hearings will continue to lengthen 'until more resources are available'