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New business to business (B2B) fairness and transparency rules apply to ‘online platforms’ and search engines from 12 July 2020
15 June 2020New EU rules requiring online platforms (including e-commerce marketplaces and price comparison sites) and search engines to deal with their business users fairly and transparently, come into force in the UK and across the EU on 12 July.
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How to flexi-furlough – government reveals more details
13 June 2020The government has published updated guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, setting out the pathway to the phasing out of the scheme. It provides details of the complex mechanism under which flexible furloughing - part-work/part-furlough - will be allowed from 1 July 2020.
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Race discrimination complaints in the workplace and how to address them
11 June 2020With Black Lives Matter protests taking place across the UK and around the world, many businesses have been publicly stating their commitment to equality and the BLM movement. But what happens when the experience of current or former BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) employees is alleged not to live up to that standard?
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Ethnicity pay gap reporting – will the government now act?
11 June 2020The tragic and brutal killing of George Floyd has led to widespread outrage and Black Lives Matter protests across the globe. Governments are facing pressure to remove societal injustice faced by BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) people. Could this mean we will finally get clarity in the UK on ethnicity pay reporting?
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EU plans changes to e-commerce and competition law
10 June 2020We recently reported on the ASAI's publication of its annual report, in which it said that at a time when online shopping and digital commerce are experiencing exponential growth and have played a key role during the pandemic, it wants digital platforms to engage significantly from both compliance and funding perspectives.
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New quarantine rules cause confusion for cross-border workers
10 June 2020New rules require most international travellers arriving in the UK from 8 June 2020 to self-isolate for 14 days. There is an exemption for cross-border workers, however how this works in practice is not straight-forward.
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Survey raises question on whether sponsors may be missing reporting duties
09 June 2020We recently conducted an employer survey which revealed that only 10% of respondents had made reports on sponsored workers’ conditions changing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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A Deed of Retirement doesn’t always protect a retiring partner
09 June 2020It’s not unreasonable to think that if a partner retires from a limited liability partnership (“LLP”) under the terms of a Deed of Retirement which contains a waiver and release clause, that partner will not be subjected to claims for any liabilities to the LLP.
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Coronavirus – our fourth employer survey
05 June 2020Our fourth employer benchmarking survey looks at how employers are approaching the potential reopening of their offices as they begin to assess some of the longer-term implications of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Sports Q&A - What data protection issues do we need to consider before testing athletes for COVID-19?
05 June 2020The Premier League has started to test players and others as part the league's "Project Restart", prompting clubs and other bodies of many sports to ask if/how they should follow suit.
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HMRC seeks compliance and enforcement powers for coronavirus support schemes
04 June 2020The government is consulting on draft legislation to ensure that coronavirus business support grants are subject to tax, and to give HM Revenue & Customs new powers to ensure fair play by preventing non-compliance and abuse of the relevant schemes.
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What does the return to retail look like?
03 June 2020Retail businesses are starting to reopen as part of the government’s plans to ease the country out of lockdown. How should retailers go about preparing to make a return to our high streets and shopping centres?
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Ads & Brands Law Digest: May 2020
02 June 2020Welcome to the May 2020 issue of our monthly Ads & Brands Law Digest.
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Wind-down of furlough scheme - timeline and key questions for employers
01 June 2020The furlough scheme will end on 31 October, with a new flexible furlough option available from 1 July. Our timeline shows the key dates and decisions employers will need to make along the way.
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Government’s immigration stance on frontline workers proves controversial
01 June 2020On 1 May the Home Office published an expanded list of COVID-19 frontline workers’ occupations entitling them and their family members to a free and automatic one-year extension of leave. However, the measures announced to-date just serve to highlight that considerably more needs to be done
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Chancellor announces arrangements for end of furlough scheme
29 May 2020The Chancellor has announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will close at the end of October, with a new flexible furloughing option from 1 July. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak opted for a “softly softly” approach as he announced the details of the phase out of the furlough scheme – but one which still leaves open the possibility of an end-of-October “cliff edge”.
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The Future Fund: can it be both a success and a failure?
29 May 2020The UK Government opened its Future Fund for applications on 20 May. It is widely reported that on the first day applications for its matched funding exceeded £500m. These applications are to be processed and, if successful, funds are to be released within 21 days. This all sounds impressive, but there are siren voices. Why is that?
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Staffing decisions when reopening workplaces in Ireland - a flowchart
29 May 2020We have produced a useful flowchart which will help employers to decide which employees can return to work as part of the Covid-19 road to recovery.
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Test, trace and travel – new self-isolation rules and employment
28 May 2020The requirement to self-isolate for 14 days in order to limit the spread of Covid-19 is being extended to two new situations – where a person arrives in the UK from overseas, and where someone is notified that they need to self-isolate under the new NHS test and trace service. How does this affect employers?
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European Commission supports voluntary travel vouchers but what are the implications for the UK travel business?
22 May 2020The European Commission has issued a “Recommendation”, announcing that it wants to encourage consumers to accept vouchers in place of cash refunds for cancelled holidays.