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Further clarity on relevance of TUPE following a share sale
31 January 2018How relevant is TUPE in the context of a share sale? A recent decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) provides a reminder that TUPE can easily come into play when a buyer is considering what to do with its newly acquired subsidiary. In this case, the buyer’s actions led to an unexpected TUPE transfer and a £3.5 million bill.
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When does service provision change amount to transfer of an economic entity?
31 January 2018The European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) was recently required to consider whether the award of a service contract to a replacement contractor in Portugal amounted to the transfer of an economic entity under the EU Acquired Rights Directive (“ARD”). Portugal has no equivalent legislation to the UK’s service provision change (“SPC”) rules
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TUPE and offshoring
30 January 2018In a recent case, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) was asked to consider the application of TUPE in the context of an offshoring of services and whether a transferring employee was entitled to protection of his salary terms if he relocated to the new place of operations in the transferee’s home jurisdiction.
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Advocate General suggests no transfer on change of music school contractor
26 January 2018An Advocate General (“AG”) of the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) has considered whether a transfer of an undertaking occurred where a contract to operate a Spanish music school was terminated and another contractor resumed the service five months later. Under the EU Acquired Rights Directive (“ARD”), a transfer of an undertaking occurs where there is a transfer of an economic entity which retains its identity. An economic entity consists of an organised grouping of resources (i.e. persons and assets), organised with a view to carrying on economic activity.
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Equal pay, TUPE and insolvency
24 January 2018The issue for the Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) in a recent case was what happens to historic equal pay liabilities when claimant employees transfer under TUPE on to a new employer in the context of the transferor employer’s insolvency.
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Early Specific Disclosure Applications – factors the court will consider
22 January 2018A decision in the Technology and Construction Court (“TCC") sheds light on the applicable test for early specific disclosure and the relevant considerations in making a successful application. Applications for early specific disclosure are relatively rare so the judgment provides helpful guidance.
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Say farewell to credit and debit card surcharges
17 January 2018On 13 January 2018, new rules came into force in the UK which mean that, for most retail payments, traders can no longer charge a fee in addition to the advertised price of a transaction on the basis of a consumer’s choice of payment means (for example, credit card, debit card or e-money).
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Evidence of pre-termination negotiations will be admissible if the EDT is in dispute
15 January 2018The Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) has decided that if the effective date of termination (“EDT”) is in dispute in an unfair dismissal case, a tribunal can hear evidence of pre-termination negotiations if that evidence is relevant to determining the issue.
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English courts and overseas defendants: jurisdiction challenges and the “two-fold test”
15 January 2018When a dispute involves a foreign party or events that took place in another jurisdiction, questions often arise as to where the dispute should be determined.
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Compulsory mediation?
11 January 2018In October 2017 the Civil Justice Council (CJC) published its interim report on the future role of alternative approaches to dispute resolution (ADR). The report makes various recommendations as well as inviting responses. It follows input from a working group tasked in January 2017 to examine uptake of ADR in civil justice. The primary purpose of the report is to find ways to encourage its use.
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AIM becomes SME Growth Market – the implications for AIM companies
10 January 2018AIM, the London Stock Exchange’s international market for smaller growing companies, was registered as an SME Growth Market on 3 January 2018.
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Employment Appeal Tribunal confirms that an employer’s attempt to bypass collective bargaining was unlawful
10 January 2018A recent decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) has confirmed that offers made directly by an employer to its employees risk amounting to unlawful attempts to bypass collective bargaining contrary to s145B of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. This was a costly exercise for the employer as they were ordered to pay penalties of more than £400,000.
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Disclosure in English litigation: a sea change is coming
09 January 2018English rules on disclosure (‘discovery’ in many jurisdictions) are set for a major overhaul. Draft rules were published in November 2017. Once approved by the Civil Procedure Rules Committee, the resulting draft is intended to be introduced as part of a pilot scheme lasting 2 years, potentially beginning in April 2018 and running in the Business and Property Courts. This will cover virtually all High Court litigation. It will not be optional.
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Changes to continuous residence rule for ILR applicants
08 January 2018From 11 January 2018 new provisions are coming into force that will affect how the Home Office assesses continuous residence for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) applications.
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Erosion of privilege – Law Society seeks to intervene
08 January 2018The Law Society is applying to intervene in the upcoming appeal of the landmark privilege decision in Serious Fraud Office (“SFO”) v Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation Limited (“ENRC”).
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Tech Predictions for 2018
08 January 2018Following on from our 2017 Tech Predictions (link below), here are our top ten favourite tech predictions for 2018. It’s set to be another exciting year as the use of technology becomes ever more pervading, influential and business critical.
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The year in employment law
08 January 2018The UK’s political landscape continues to be dominated by the shock 2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union. Following a surprise General Election in June 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May unexpectedly lost her parliamentary majority amid deep divisions about how the UK should “Brexit”. Against that backdrop, the Brexit negotiations between the UK and EU began in 2017 and will continue into 2018. This has meant that, as with many other areas, employment policy reform has taken something of a backseat. Nevertheless, employment law continues to change at pace.
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Discrimination based on perceived disability is unlawful
29 December 2017The Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) has confirmed that it is unlawful to discriminate against an employee because of a perceived disability, even where that employee is not actually disabled under the relevant legal test.
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Enforcement of gender pay gap reporting – the EHRC gets involved
21 December 2017The Equality and Human Rights Commission (‘EHRC’) has published a consultation on its plans for enforcing the Gender Pay Gap Reporting Regulations (‘GPG Regulations’).
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From the pub to the court room
19 December 2017It is not uncommon for commercial deals to be agreed with a handshake in an informal setting (often a bar, restaurant or other social venue). If agreed, parties usually then move the matter on to their lawyers to document the terms. But what if terms are never documented? How much reliance can be placed on commercial terms that are agreed orally?