The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has released new data that shows a rise in the headline rate of unemployment coupled with a fall in employment.
The key findings of the released data include:

The headline unemployment rate (based on the International Labour Organisation’s definition) stood at 8% between [...]

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A recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) case has highlighted the fact that tribunals must not substitute its own judgement for that of the employer when determining whether a dismissal is unfair or not.
Instead, they must determine if the employer acted within a band of “reasonable responses”.
This particular case concerned an administrative worker at a community [...]

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The High Court has sentenced a dismissed employee to three months in prison for contempt of court after he admitted breaking Financial Services Authority (FSA) rules by personal account trading; forging a letter ostensibly from his brokers; destroying evidence on his computer; and not complying with a search and seizure order. [...]

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The recent eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull and the subsequent travel disruption caused by the millions of tons of volcanic ash it released into the atmosphere has highlighted a difficult employment law situation.
Many thousands of employees were left stranded abroad as a result of the closure of UK airspace following the volcano’s eruption, and [...]

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New regulations concerning damages-based agreements came into force on April the 8th. These regulations are intended to help ensure that claimants using this form of payment scheme are fully aware of their rights and prevent abuse of the system by unscrupulous representatives.
A damages-based agreement allows representatives of tribunal claimants to claim a percentage of any [...]

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The employment relations service Acas has released figures that show a marked increase in the number of businesses and employees seeking to avoid employment tribunals in recent months.
The volume of calls taken each month by the Acas helpline which have led to referrals to their Pre-Claim Conciliation service (PCC) has almost doubled since September. PCC [...]

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Following a transition period of several months, the Government’s system for allocating funding to further education and training in England has been greatly simplified.
Under the new system, employers and learners will have four direct routes into training:

Train to Gain.
The National Apprenticeship Service.
The Adult Advancement and Careers Service.
The existing network of further education colleges and training [...]

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Social security benefit rates are increased every April to reflect the current rate of inflation (as measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI) over the 12 months to the previous September). However, in the 12 month period leading up to September 2009, there was “negative inflation”, which saw the RPI drop by 1.4%.
Despite this, the [...]

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The case of Buckland v Bournemouth University makes an important point concerning remedies after a repudiatory breach of contract. In the case, Professor Buckland was involved in an argument with the University over the criticism of some scripts he had marked.
He was fully exonerated by the subsequent inquiry, but by that stage his relationship with [...]

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The recent Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the case of Dr Langston v Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform clearly demonstrates the circumstances in which a tribunal can make deductions from unfair dismissal compensation awards based on the fact that the claimant’s own behaviour contributed to the dismissal.
In the EAT case, the finding of [...]

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