A common (and not altogether unwarranted) comment by many of ourclients is that they feel that the pace of change in employment lawmeans they have to be experts in Human Resources.  Many of you aretherefore finding that the time for selling and repairing vehicles isincreasingly being squeezed. Autumn 2008 is no exception to thatgeneral impression, despite John Hutton’s recent prophecy that “the endof the era of major new employment regulation” is upon us.

The most important development in recent months is that the lawrelating to disability discrimination and the Disability DiscriminationAct 1995 has been thrown back into turmoil following the House of Lordsdecision in London Borough of Lewisham v Malcolm. This case is as rareas a bowler hat in the City, being a potentially pro-employerinterpretation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. We also lookin this update at another pro-employer decision on victimisation and ata case on the boundaries of religious discrimination.

Finally, as autumn is often the time when employment legislation isenacted, we have provided a brief summary of some of the upcomingdevelopments proposed by Parliament in relation to employment law. Notein particular that there is an important change to maternity leave inOctober.

• London Borough of Lewisham v Malcolm (2008) UK HL 43
• A Statutory Update
• HM Prison Service v Ibimdiun
• Sheridan v Prospects For People With Learning Disabilities