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18 September 2026 / Ian Smith
Issue: 8177 / Categories: Features , Employment , Tribunals , Limitation , Whistleblowing , Discrimination
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Employment law brief: 18 September 2026

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What’s in a name? An ET1 by any other name would smell as sweet, writes Ian Smith in this month’s brief, which also tackles part-time workers, whistleblowing & time extensions

  • The Supreme Court has confirmed that less favourable treatment of part-time workers need only be a significant or effective cause, not the sole cause.
  • Recent Employment Appeal Tribunal rulings underline the need to assess interim relief and time-limit extensions on all relevant factors, while allowing a practical approach to name changes between early conciliation and an ET1.

The main employment law news of the last month was that the Supreme Court handed down its decision on the causation requirement in the law on part-time workers, after several years of inconsistent case law which had been bedevilled by arguments over judicial comity and whether an English court or tribunal must apply a Scottish appellate level decision. The judgment addresses that constitutional point too.

The second case considered makes important points on the application of interim

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NEWS
Lawyers have welcomed the Lord Chancellor’s reverse-ferret on jury reforms, but expressed ‘serious concerns’ about the decision to exclude fraud trials
From ‘rats in the robing room’ to ‘overworked’ judges and a shortage of court staff, barristers have aired their concerns about the state of the justice system
The use of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) poses ‘significant risks’ across the justice system, public services and government, and current regulation is ‘poorly suited’ to control it, experts have warned
The solicitors’ regulator has paused controversial plans to exclude owner-managers from compliance officer roles
The government has launched a £16m legal support grant to support 48 frontline legal advice organisations supporting people facing eviction, problem debt, benefit disputes and family breakdown
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