2018 is set to be another interesting year for our employer clients.
Those of you who attended Stephen Newman’s seminar on the EU General Data Protection Regulation will be ready to comply with the new rules when they are introduced on 25 May 2018.
Last year there were a number of cases concerning the status of workers in the so called ‘gig economy’.This line of cases looks set to continue in 2018 as the Supreme Court is due to consider the Pimlico Plumbers case in February.
Pay is likely to be a hot topic this year.Large public sector employers must provide their first mandatory gender pay gap reports by 30 March 2018 with the first reports for large private and voluntary sector employers being due on 4 April.
With the expansion of auto enrolment and greater awareness of pension rights, we predict that pensions issues will feature in 2018, starting with the government’s White Paper on defined benefit pension reform expected in the early part of the year.
Working time issues will continue to occupy the courts and tribunals.Already this week we have a decision of the EAT on rest breaks – an employee’s 20 minute rest break cannot be taken in a number of short breaks that add up to 20 minutes.The question of working time for employees who sleep-in in order to carry out their duties will be considered by the Court of Appeal in March and there will be a further hearing in the Court of Appeal of the Sash Windows case following a European Court of Justice decision that workers who are wrongly told that they have no right to paid holiday carry their holiday rights over indefinitely and be paid in lieu on termination.
On the issue of discrimination, the Supreme Court will consider the gay cake case, on whether a Christian bakery had directly discriminated against a gay man byrefusing to bake a cake with “Support Gay Marriage” on it.
At the moment a number of employment rights arise from the UK’s membership of the EU, including TUPE, working time and paid annual leave.The effect of Brexit on employment law is not known and is likely to evolve as 2018 progresses.
For further information please contact our Employment Law Team on 01484 821 500 or email info@ramsdens.co.uk.