Statutory Instrument – 22/01/2010 The main effect of these draft regulations is to implement the government’s previously announced intention to give new mothers the right to transfer the second 6 months of their 12 months maternity leave entitlement to the father. Statutory Maternity Pay (£123.06 per week, rising to £124.88 in April 2010, payable for 9 months in total) will effectively continue even if part of the 9 months relates to this “transferred” leave. Under current law men [...]

EAT – 18/01/2010 The right to statutory leave is not “inalienable”. Although an employer must not act unreasonably or capriciously so as to deny any lawful requests for leave, it is possible that contractual provisions (such as notice periods for applying for leave) may operate to prevent an employee taking all his leave before a leave year expires. http://www.netlawman.co.uk Subscribe To Site: Full Post Feed | Summary Feed | Comments Feed

Sunday Telegraph – 10/01/2010 The Sunday Telegraph reports that John Bowers QC, the eminent employment law silk, has said in a formal opinion that the Equality Bill “could make it unlawful for a church to require a priest or minister to be male, celibate and unmarried, or not in a civil partnership”. The Sunday Telegraph article goes on to say that the government is to propose an amendment to make sure that this is not [...]

Copyright acknowledged Daily Mail – 11/01/2010 Although this Daily Mail article does not mention it, the Heyday case is an essential backdrop to this interview with Harriet Harman. Ms Harman has told the Daily Mail that the government intends to recommend that the age 65 default retirement age should not be raised to 70 or 75 but rather should be scrapped altogether. A planned review is to be announced shortly. Under current law (the Employment [...]