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07 June 2024 / Clare Fletcher
Issue: 8074 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Employment , Tribunals
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Where next for ‘fire & rehire’?

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Clare Fletcher looks into the Tesco ‘retained pay’ case & ponders how Labour in government might treat the issue
  • The Tesco ‘retained pay’ case could have significant implications for employees at Tesco, and employers who seek to harmonise their employees’ contractual terms.
  • The new code of practice for fire and rehire may have changed the scenario in the Tesco case in various ways.
  • Looks beyond 4 July, and considers how a Labour government might overhaul the law surrounding fire and rehire.

‘Fire and rehire’ is a contractual mechanism for implementing contentious changes to employees’ terms and conditions. It has been recognised and utilised in various scenarios for many years, but has come under greater scrutiny following a number of recent high-profile instances. This has resulted in both a legal challenge which reached the UK’s highest court in April, and a new statutory code of practice due to come into force in July. This article considers the implications of these developments, and what the future holds for fire and rehire.

In court

On

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NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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