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Things are seldom as they seem...

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Spencer Keen explores Autoclenz & the unique status of employment contracts

It has become increasingly difficult for a company, which engages an individual to provide a service, to avoid assuming the sorts of obligations which have only previously been owed to employees. Increasingly, traditional employment rights, such as the right to holiday pay, are being given to workers who are not employed in the normal fashion (most recently, by the Agency Worker Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/93) which are due to come into force next month).

Reliance on written terms

To what extent can an employer rely on the express written terms of a contract to limit his exposure to these sorts of statutory protections and to reduce his costs, tax obligations or other potential liabilities?

Where a legislative right is afforded to a worker or employee (such as the right to paid holidays under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/1833) (WTR)) can a person be deprived of that benefit simply because

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NEWS
A time-restricted bank tax, a ‘roadmap to fiscal devolution’, extension to parental leave, entrepreneur’s relief and a giveaway on energy bills for households are the headlines in Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey’s 2026 Autumn Budget
A Court of Appeal judge has lamented the ‘very concerning’ state of the law on employee inventor compensation after a chemist’s case took five-and-a-half years to reach court, eventually being listed for a 37-day trial next year
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Respect orders, which enable police, councils, housing associations, transport networks and other authorities to take enforcement action against anti-social behaviour, have come into force across England and Wales
The Land Registry has launched two consultations aimed at making its information more publicly accessible, ‘Restructuring HM Land Registry fees’, and ‘Future of access to HM Land Registry information’
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