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11 June 2021 / Ian Smith
Issue: 7936 / Categories: Features , Employment , Tribunals
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Employment law brief: 11 June 2021

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Ian Smith investigates a gap in protection for workers in the ‘gig economy’
  • The worker definition and the relevance of mutuality of obligations.
  • Compensation for indirect discrimination is compatible with Convention rights.
  • Disability likely to last 12 months or recur—a question of timing.

Unusually, the major item of news this last month has been a relatively quick legislative reaction to a serious criticism of the existing law in a decision of the High Court. This was the successful challenge in Independent Workers Union of Great Britain v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2021] IRLR 102 to the restriction of the protection of the Employment Rights Act 1996, s 44 (health and safety detriment) to ‘employees’; the point behind the challenge was that in the ‘gig economy’ there was a gap in protection for those who are workers but not employees, especially in relation to the COVID pandemic. It was held that this restriction was contrary to the backing of health and safety directives. The government has not appealed against this judgment and have now produced

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hogan Lovells—Lisa Quelch

Hogan Lovells—Lisa Quelch

Partner hire strengthens global infrastructure and energy financing practice

Sherrards—Jan Kunstyr

Sherrards—Jan Kunstyr

Legal director bolsters international expertise in dispute resolution team

Muckle LLP—Stacey Brown

Muckle LLP—Stacey Brown

Corporate governance and company law specialist joins the team

NEWS

NOTICE UNDER THE TRUSTEE ACT 1925

HERBERT SMITH STAFF PENSION SCHEME (THE “SCHEME”)

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND BENEFICIARIES UNDER SECTION 27 OF THE TRUSTEE ACT 1925
Law firm HFW is offering clients lawyers on call for dawn raids, sanctions issues and other regulatory emergencies
From gender-critical speech to notice periods and incapability dismissals, employment law continues to turn on fine distinctions. In his latest employment law brief for NLJ, Ian Smith of Norwich Law School reviews a cluster of recent decisions, led by Bailey v Stonewall, where the Court of Appeal clarified the limits of third-party liability under the Equality Act
Non-molestation orders are meant to be the frontline defence against domestic abuse, yet their enforcement often falls short. Writing in NLJ this week, Jeni Kavanagh, Jessica Mortimer and Oliver Kavanagh analyse why the criminalisation of breach has failed to deliver consistent protection
Assisted dying remains one of the most fraught fault lines in English law, where compassion and criminal liability sit uncomfortably close. Writing in NLJ this week, Julie Gowland and Barny Croft of Birketts examine how acts motivated by care—booking travel, completing paperwork, or offering emotional support—can still fall within the wide reach of the Suicide Act 1961
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