Business Law

A new law is set to give millions of workers more control over their working hours and employment patterns. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR provides an update. The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill, which received the Royal Assent in September, is designed to help people on atypical contracts – including those on zero hours contracts. It introduces a right for workers to request a more predictable…

A waste management company has failed to get a court injunction preventing former employees from allegedly copying its business model and setting up as a rival. Mark Aspin Director and Head of Dispute Resolution reports on this recent case. The case involved Waste Managed Ltd. It made allegations of unlawful means conspiracy, misuse of confidential information, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty against former employees who had set up a rival…

A director has won a dispute with his company that he was entitled to immediate payment of a £2.3m loan. Selina Gonzalez Solicitor in our dispute resolution team reports on this recent case. The case involved Malik and Henley Homes Plc. Henley accepted that the money was owing to Malik on a company loan account but claimed that it was not repayable on demand, but by oral agreement between Malik and two other…

High Street retail giants WH Smith, M&S and Argos are among more than 200 employers named by the government for failing to pay their lowest paid staff the minimum wage.  Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR provides an update. The 202 employers were found to have failed to pay their workers almost £5 million in a clear breach of National Minimum Wage (NMW) law, leaving around 63,000 workers…

There has been a surge in the number of renters seeking assistance with no-fault evictions, suggesting that landlords are rushing to move people out before new legislation comes into effect. Laura Murphy, Paralegal in our Dispute Resolution team provides an update. According to Citizens Advice, nearly 2,000 individuals sought help with section 21 evictions in May, the highest number recorded in a single month and a 25% increase since May…

Debt collection and credit control can be a challenge for any business. Yet failure to deal swiftly and effectively with debtors can threaten your viability and put your future and the future of your employees at risk. Carly Davies, our Debt Control Manager, reports. Here are some of the key approaches to ensuring prompt payment. Negotiation This is the obvious first step. It requires frank communication with the debtor to discuss the…

A technologist has won his victimisation claim after being ‘named and shamed’ by his line manager without a proper investigation. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. The case involved Mr N Chowdhury, who had been a senior critical care technologist at Barts Health NHS Trust since 2001.  In 2021, Chowdhury was involved in a confrontation with a colleague, Mr Patelca, who complained that Chowdhury had…

The Employment Tribunal has ruled that an employee was unfairly dismissed in what amounted to a fait accompli during an inadequate redundancy consultation. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. The case involved Mrs R Khamar, who was made redundant by PIE Pharma after 22 years of service. PIE Pharma said it had to make redundancies in the packaging department because it was adversely…

A former animal keeper has won a claim of unfair dismissal even though she broke company safety rules. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. Morna Gunn was employed at Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre, which houses a variety of domestic and wild animals such as short claw otters and Scottish wildcats that could pose a risk to visitors. Control measures were in place in the park, including…

The government has outlined its Renters (Reform) Bill, which it says will strike a balance between protecting both landlords and tenants. Natalie Tatton Solicitor in our dispute team provides an update. It says that eleven million tenants will benefit from safer, fairer and higher quality homes and over two million landlords will find it easier to recover their properties when necessary. Landlords will be able to sell their property if they want to,…