| Winter 2009/10 - Bulletin |
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As this bulletin is being drafted we have just emerged from the big freeze of 2010. Whilst the country ponders whether or not stockpiling road salt may have been more sensible in the autumn than swine flu vaccine, employers surveying the horizon for the next threat to their profits are, as ever, wise to keep up-to-date with the latest changes in employment law. As snowed-in employees return to work complaining of depleted pay packets, we can slowly turn our attention to other matters. This season there has been a number of interesting cases developing the law on discrimination and accordingly we will be looking at the following; an employment appeal decision on dress codes, a ruling on the comparability of IVF treatment and pregnancy, an interesting case dealing with the difficult and often contradictory protections for religious belief and sexual orientation and finally a helpful clarification on the rules relating to risk assessments for pregnant workers. Finally and for the first time ever, in response to the recession, the Government’s annual review of compensation limits has (we are pleased to report) resulted in an (albeit minimal) reduction to the maximum compensatory award limit in Unfair Dismissal. From 1 February 2010 the maximum compensatory award drops from £66,200 to £65,300. |