Our employment library

The Labour Department has changed the Heat Stress at Work Warning (“HSWW”) system following concerns that its thresholds did not adequately reflect severe conditions.

Does a business restructure or TUPE transfer have any immigration or employment permit implications? The answer is yes: where a restructure involves a TUPE transfer, liability for employing foreign nationals without valid immigration permission will transfer to the new employer, and both parties will need to address their post-transfer notification obligations under the Employment Permits Act 2024.

Listen here for the latest developments and essential practical takeaways (short enough to fit into a quick coffee break!). Lawyers from our IHELC team will discuss key developments in employment law with our usual pragmatism and insight, a touch of humour and a sharp focus on the in-house lawyer’s perspective.

Few expected Malta to meet the 7 June 2026 deadline for transposing the EU Pay Transparency Directive. With elections having recently taken place, there was little sign that legislation was imminent. Yet on 5 June, Malta published the Equal Pay (Transparency and Reporting) Regulations 2026 – with most of the requirements of which taking effect immediately with no transitional period.

Greece transposed the EU Pay Transparency Directive on 6 July 2026, making it the fifth EU Member State to finalise transposition.

From 1 October 2026, the time limit for bringing an employment tribunal claim will increase to six months for all claims, including unfair dismissal and discrimination claims.

This Inbrief guide explains the new right for trade unions to access the workplace from 30 October 2026, including how the process works, what employers need to do, and what access terms look like in practice. It also covers the main exceptions and how access agreements are enforced.

The Court of Appeal has confirmed that vicarious liability owed to third parties does not transfer under TUPE. We explore the impact for both transferors and transferees.

This Inbrief provides an overview of the Employment Tribunal process, from making a claim to the outcome of the final hearing. It is deliberately brief and does not cover every aspect of tribunal procedure, so do seek specific advice on your own circumstances if you are involved in a claim. This applies to England and Wales only, as the process in Scotland and in Northern Ireland is a bit different – do contact us if you need more information about this.

Next has successfully appealed some (but not all) of a landmark equal pay decision from two years ago, providing some useful clarification on when market forces can be used to justify unequal pay.

Recently, a Chinese multinational tech giant dismissed a Project Manager after screenshots of his seven-figure compensation package were circulated online. The package was reportedly worth over RMB 3 million (about US$470,000). The company dismissed the individual on the basis that he had disclosed sensitive corporate information and permanently blacklisted him from future employment at the organisation. The screenshots went viral on Chinese social media and sparked nationwide discussion on compensation packages and pay confidentiality.

Andy Burnham has advocated for better working conditions long before he became Prime Minister. Now that “Manchesterism" has arrived at Number 10, employers should be paying close attention to where his ambitions meet (and go beyond) the Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms.

The EAT has upheld a seven-figure award against an employer which did not properly conclude collective bargaining before making a direct pay offer to its workforce.

The Fair Employment Tribunal in Belfast has, for the first time, ruled on discrimination and harassment claims based on gender critical beliefs as a form of political opinion, in the closely watched case of Sara O'Gorman (Morrison) v Belfast Film Festival Limited. Although the claimant lost, the judgment offers useful early guidance for Northern Ireland employers navigating this fast-moving area of law.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 will give trade unions a general right to enter workplaces to recruit, organise and represent members for the first time in Great Britain.

The government has published a new consultation on equal pay and pay discrimination, which makes some significant proposals about attempting to fix the shortcomings of the current system and making equal pay more effective for disabled people and those from ethnic minority groups. Here’s our overview.

A change to the government’s statutory guidance on gender pay gap reporting has been published stating that reporting should be based on employees’ biological sex. This insight explains the change in more detail.

The anti-immigration protests and violence that erupted across Belfast following a stabbing incident on 8 June 2026 are causing many to feel appalled, frightened and vulnerable. We look at key obligations for Northern Ireland employers and provide practical guidance on how to support employees at this time.

This is a complete practical guide to gender pay gap reporting obligations for companies of all sizes and sectors in Great Britain. The FAQ format is designed to help employers to calculate your gender pay gaps and prepare your gender pay gap reports. Based on our experience of advising employers of all sizes and across all sectors since 2016, we show you how to get it right, avoid common pitfalls, and ensure your gender pay gap reporting is accurate, compliant and credible.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is transforming employment law in the UK. In this article, we consider the changes relevant to mergers and acquisitions. We explore the knock-on implications for both sellers and buyers, focussing on due diligence, the acquisition agreement and post-completion integration.

In this episode, Tarun Tawakley and our industrial relations expert David Hopper discuss the recent and forthcoming changes affecting trade unions under the Employment Rights Act, with practical takeaways for both unionised and non-unionised businesses.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 will give trade unions a general right to enter workplaces to recruit, organise and represent members for the first time in Great Britain.

On 30 March 2026, the Romanian government published a revised version of its draft law transposing the EU Pay Transparency Directive (Directive 2023/970). The original draft law was previously consulted on amongst business partners, and the revised draft is now published for public consultation. The revised draft continues to closely track the wording and structure of the Pay Transparency Directive, reinforcing Romania’s approach of substantive alignment with the Directive. Romania remains on track to meet the 7 June 2026 transposition deadline, with the revised draft providing greater clarity on its implementation approach.

Industrial action is a way for unions to put pressure on an employer about changes in the workplace. The new Employment Rights Act makes it easier for unions to call strikes and may also lead to increased trade unions membership in Great Britain. This Inbrief outlines the law in this area and gives employers practical tips for responding to and avoiding conflicts. 

It is not unusual for workplace tensions, sickness absence and performance concerns to arise at the same time. A recent Irish Workplace Relations Commission case sheds light on when the duty to provide reasonable accommodations under the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2021 applies for employers where these issues coincide.

Women over the age of 50 are the fastest growing group in the workforce. As more employees go through the menopause during their working lives, employers need to be aware of the impact in the workplace.

Employers with 250 or more employees are required to report on the gender pay gap in their organisation. This Inbrief provides an overview of the law as it applies to the private and voluntary sectors.

Workers who “blow the whistle” on their employers have the right not to be dismissed or otherwise penalised as a result.

This Inbrief highlights some of the main issues for employers when making collective redundancies, which involves obligations to consult with affected employees.

To help employers ensure that their job evaluation processes under the Pay Transparency Directive are fair, objective and gender neutral, the European Commission and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) have issued updated EU wide guidelines and practical toolkits, offering a clear roadmap for implementing gender neutral job evaluation systems.