Employment - May 2007

This month's edition includes articles on the new smoking ban, the case of St Helens Borough Council v Derbyshire and the DTI consultation on resolving workplace disputes.

Smoking in the workplace

As from 1 July 2007, smoking in all enclosed public areas and workplaces will be outlawed under the Health Act 2006. Jamie Campbell looks at some of the practical issues for employers and retailers when the smoking ban takes effect.

St Helens Borough Council v Derbyshire

In this case, the House of Lords unanimously ruled that where an employer pressures an employee to settle or abandon her claim of discrimination then this can constitute victimisation, even where the pressure is indirect. Mike Wright explains the decision in St Helens Borough Council v Derbyshire and considers the wider implications.

Consultation on resolving dispute resolution in the workplace

The Department of Trade and Industry, on behalf of the Government, has launched an initial consultation paper on resolving dispute resolution in the workplace and Weightmans is preparing a collective response to this consultation. Paul Macfarlane explains about the DTI consultation on dispute resolution and how to participate.

Legislation Pipeline

Recognising that ‘forewarned is forearmed, Weightmans maintains a regularly updated schedule of forthcoming employment-related legislation. Paul Macfarlane explains how the Weightmans legislation pipeline can be accessed.  

This update does not attempt to provide a full analysis of those matters with which it deals and is provided for general information purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for legal advice. Weightmans LLP accepts no responsibility for any loss that may arise from reliance on the information in this update. The copyright in this update is owned by Weightmans.