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05 August 2020 / Ian Smith
Issue: 7898 / Categories: Features , Employment
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Employment law brief: 7 August 2020

25495
Before signing off for the summer break, Ian Smith tackles some small but mighty points of interpretation

In brief

  • How long is short?
  • Notice withdrawn…or not?
  • Accommodation deductions: a difficult precedent.
  • Has the employee affirmed the contract after employer repudiation?
  • Bringing a claim as a matter of principle.

This month’s Brief contains five recent cases, all of which concern short but important points of interpretation—when is an agency-provided worker’s engagement ‘temporary’? When can notice of termination be withdrawn? What is the position of an accommodation deduction for national minimum wage (NMW) purposes where the accommodation is provided by a third party? How does the concept of affirmation of employer behaviour apply when the employee has appealed? Can an ex-employee bring an unfair dismissal claim, even if there is no chance of monetary compensation if successful? Four of the cases provide welcome clarifications, but the NMW case has to be read with caution and arguably fires a shot across the bows of any employer providing accommodation for workers through

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Laytons ETL—Maximilian Kraitt

Laytons ETL—Maximilian Kraitt

Commercial firm strengthens real estate disputes team with associate hire

Switalskis—three appointments

Switalskis—three appointments

Firm appoints three directors to board

Browne Jacobson—seven promotions

Browne Jacobson—seven promotions

Six promoted to partner and one to legal director across UK and Ireland offices

NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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