February 2021 - Didlaw

The Claimants were “screwed” in SEISS’s Indirect Sex Discrimination Case

26 February 2021

On 1 February 2021 our Mark Alaszewski wrote a blog about Judicial Review proceedings brought by Pregnant Then Screwed https://pregnantthenscrewed.com against Rishi Sunak for indirect sex discrimination. Basically, the SEISS (Self-Employed Income Support Scheme) which protects earnings for the self-employed calculated the entitlement payable to individuals by averaging their earnings over a 3-year reference period. […]

race in the workplace

25 February 2021

Race in the workplace is an important topic as we look to strive forward in improving equality at work. I recently signed up to the ’21 Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge’ aimed at employment lawyers and led by the Employment Lawyers Association (UK). ELA launches 21 Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge. Each day we were […]

Can A Tribunal Order A Compensation Uplift if it has not Been Pleaded?

24 February 2021

No said the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT). A tribunal order of compensation will not be uplifted if it has not been pleaded. The Claimant, Mr Levy, worked for his employer, 34 & Co Ltd, for less than a month prior to resigning. He was not provided with written particulars of employment. When submitting his claim […]

can you be fairly dismissed for failing to wear a facemask?

23 February 2021

Yes held the East London Employment Tribunal in Kubilius v Kent Foods Limited. The Claimants refusal to wear a face mask at work led to his dismissal. Mr Kubilius, the Claimant, was employed as a lorry driver by Kent Foods Limited (KFL), the Respondent, which is a distribution company. One of its major clients is […]

the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on working mothers.

22 February 2021

As a Mother of three children, juggling a career with the needs of dependents and establishing a work-life balance can be a challenge at the best of times. But over the last year I’ve had to take on the additional role of substitute teacher and, much to the horror of my children, hairdresser. I’ve also […]

Redundancy: What is a Protective Award and are you entitled to one?

22 February 2021

It has been reported that over 150 former Topshop and Miss Selfridge staff are pursuing claims for a Protective Award following their redundancies earlier this month. A Protective Award is a compensation payment awarded by an Employment Tribunal of up to a maximum of 90 days gross pay. Such an award is made when an […]

gender pay gap reporting

19 February 2021

It has been more than 40 years since the introduction of equal pay and sex discrimination legislation in the UK but there remains a significant gap in earnings between men and women. Ongoing research by the Office for National Statistics shows that whilst the gap is decreasing, this remained at 18.1% in 2016. There are […]

Are Uber drivers workers or are they self-employed? The Supreme Court says they are WORKERS!

19 February 2021

The Supreme Court has finally given its long awaited decision in the case of Uber BC and others (Appellants) v Aslam and others (Respondents). The case concerns whether Uber taxi drivers should have the legal status of ‘workers’ or ‘self-employed’. These distinctions are significant as the self-employed have very few employment rights whereas workers are […]

income protection insurance – is it worth fighting for?

18 February 2021

At didlaw we do a lot of work for people with disabilities, who are unwell or have been on long-term sick leave. As a part of their employment package, some of our clients have the benefit of income protection (commonly known as permanent health insurance (or PHI for short) and Group Income Protection (GIP)) which […]