RMIF’s lawyers, Motor Industry Legal Services (MILS), have been asked to provide Automotive Insight readers with a summary of recent cases, on a bimonthly basis.

Employers must consider each job individually and look at whether the duties carried out in that job can be done by someone who is not of a specific religion or belief.

The clarification of the law by the Employment Appeal Tribunal will no doubt assist motor industry employers defending claims relating to victimisation brought by Claimants who can be shown to be acting maliciously.

The most important development in recent months is that the law relating to disability discrimination and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has been thrown back into turmoil following the House of Lords decision in London Borough of Lewisham v Malcolm.

The country's most popular new car, the Ford Focus, has held on to its coveted 'Used Car of the Year' title in the Auto Express Glass's Guide Used Car Honours 2008.

Read More about the Ford Focus

The Government has published its first consultation paper on the extension of the right to request flexible working.

The financial turmoil in America is creating a two-tier system among US car dealers according to a report in Automotive News Europe.

Read more about car dealers

From the 5th October 2008 the distinction between ordinary and additional maternity leave is to be removed.

Don’t forget that the national minimum wage is subject to its yearly increase from the 1st October 2008. The rate for a normal adult worker aged 22 will be £5.73 per hour.

The UK Border Agency has launched an advertising campaign urging employers who wish to employ foreign workers from outside of the EEA or Switzerland to apply for a sponsor licence by 1 October 2008.

A teenager was dismissed from employment because she was too young for the job.

We wish to remind our clients that changes to the following areas are now in force:

MILS Motor lawyers have secured a successful settlement for one of the UK's first and leading second-hand car supermarkets.

MILS helped one of the UK's largest car supermarkets challenge a substantial costs bill awarded against them following a piece of litigation in the Watford County Court.

A claim for non payment of an agreed discount on supplied vehicles was settled by a MILS Barrister saving a multi franchise new and used car dealer for Ford, Citroën, Skoda, Mazda and Toyota in the region of£5,000.

Legal fee's (if paying) would have been in the region of £2,500 resulting in a total saving of £7,500 because of membership of the MILS scheme.

According to the information services company Experian, the number of Motor industry businesses going bust fell by 22.3 per cent in 2007.

The Employment Appeals Tribunal has held that direct and indirect sex discrimination can provide grounds for a claim of constructive dismissal.

MILS lawyers have successfully defended a finance agreement claim on behalf of a dealership saving them over £7,000.

The new Corporate Manslaughter & Corporate Homicide Bill will become law in April 08 and will apply to any "organisation" as well as any type of trading business.

The national minimum wage has increased to £5.52 for workers aged 22 and over; £4.60 for workers aged 18-21; and £3.40 for workers aged 16-17.

The EAT has reminded employers that dismissals resulting from the pressure of a third party (such as one of the employer's clients) may be fair but only where the employer has considered whether the proposed dismissal would cause injustice to the employee; and
where there would be injustice, whether any steps could be taken to alleviate the injustice (for example, assigning the employee to work for another client).

The number of people killed in road accidents in Great Britain fell last year by 1% as part of a 5% overall reduction in road casualties.

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit from the state of California demanding compensation from six carmakers for their contribution to global warming.

A claim of age discrimination and unfair dismissal in the Cardiff Employment Tribunal has been successfully defended by MILS on behalf of a major motor retailer, Carshops Ltd.

MILS have recently been involved in a very important case involving the interpretation of the new statutory grievance procedures.

The EAT has confirmed that an employer's obligation under the statutory dismissal and disciplinary procedure to notify an employee of his right to appeal does not mean that the notification must be made in writing. 

The draft Working Time (Amendment) Regulations 2007 come into force today increasing the statutory minimum holiday entitlement from 4 weeks to 5.6 weeks to ensure annual leave for the eight public holidays, as well as the statutory 4 weeks.

Psychological assessments should become part of the UK driving test, a road safety expert has urged.

The Association of Chief Police Officers and the Finance & Leasing Association have joined forces to create a new crack police team that will investigate frauds against motor finance companies.

A report by the SMMT suggests that much work has to be done to convince motorists to become greener. 

Sales of upper-medium cars are being cannibalised across Europe's largest new car markets by the emerging niche family car segments.

The UK market for body repairs has fallen in real terms for the fifth year running since its peak in 2001.

A total of 452 cars were pre-registered in the UK by manufacturers in April.

A claim brought by our Client against a warranty company at Court for unpaid warranty claims resulted in a successful settlement.
 

A MILS Client has been awarded £7,303.45 after a customer alleged that Kent Auto Panels Dealership had misrepresented the specification of a vehicle sold to him.
 

A woman, who alleged that she had suffered personal injury when her seatbelt had failed because of works our client had carried out to her vehicle, has had her case struck out of Court for lack of causation.