The Employment Appeal Tribunal has upheld an employment tribunal’s decision that an employee was precluded from bringing disability discrimination claims against his employer as they had been validly waived under a prior settlement agreement. The decision confirms the Court of Session’s decision in Bathgate v. Technip Singapore PTE Ltd that unknown future claims can be validly waived under a settlement agreement although the drafting will need to be absolutely clear in this respect.
After a period of slowdown due to increased interest rates and macroeconomic uncertainty, the second half of 2024 is poised for a strong resurgence in M&A activities. Staying up to date on the latest market trends and legal developments is critical. In this article, our Baker McKenzie lawyers share guidance on these anticipated regulatory challenges and their impact on M&A transactions, and provide direction for transaction parties on how to navigate such challenges successfully
The UK Government passed the long-awaited Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (“Act”) on 24 May 2024. Some provisions of the Act take effect immediately (for example, new controls over foreign ownership of newspapers), but most provisions will enter into force in Autumn this year following the conclusion of a public consultation on important legislative guidance. The Act introduces radical new digital sector regulation – akin to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act – in addition to expanding the UK Competition & Markets Authority’s consumer protection powers and introducing significant reform of the UK competition regime.
The recruitment process stands as a critical juncture in shaping the workforce of any organization. As organizations scale, the influx of job applications creates a complex balancing act. In an article, Morven Ross explores the risks to organizations of disability discrimination in the recruitment process and the correct management of AI in this context.
The employment tribunal ruled that a Christian actor was not discriminated against because of religion or belief when she was dismissed from the role of a lesbian character and her agency terminated her contract following a social media storm after an old Facebook post was discovered saying that she believed homosexuality to be a sin.
Following the end of the UK tax year on 5 April 2024, annual Employment-Related Securities (ERS) returns may now be filed online with HMRC. All companies with open share plan registrations with HMRC are required to submit an annual return, even if it is a nil return (i.e., even if there has been no share plan activity during the 2023 to 2024 tax year). The deadline for submission for the 2023 to 2024 tax year is 6 July 2024.
On 6 March 2024, the current government (led by the Conservative Party) announced a number of significant changes to the way in which UK tax resident non-UK domiciled (RND) individuals will be taxed in future. These changes are expected to take effect from 6 April 2025. In this alert we provide a recap of the reforms announced by the current Conservative government, and an overview of the further changes that the Labour Party has said it will introduce if elected.
An employment tribunal has held that the University of Bristol’s decision to dismiss a professor based on comments he shared regarding his protected anti-Zionist beliefs was both an unfair dismissal and unlawful discrimination because of his protected belief.
A dismissal will be automatically unfair if the sole or principal reason for dismissal is that the employee took or sought to take parental leave. In Hilton Foods Solutions v. Wright, the EAT has decided that this protection does not require the employee to have made a formal request. Communications about taking parental leave might reach a stage that could be described as having sought to take the leave. This will be a question of fact for employment tribunals.
The Presidents of the Employment Tribunals (England & Wales and Scotland) have issued Presidential Guidance updating the Vento bands for damages for injury to feelings and psychiatric injury in discrimination claims.