Employment Case Law Update April 2025
Read on for our monthly digest for employers on upcoming employment law changes and key, recent employment tribunal cases. Legal definition of a ‘woman’ Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers In 2018, the Scottish Government enacted the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Act, aiming to improve female representation on public […]
EHRC Issues Interim Guidance on Woman Definition Ruling
In response to the recent Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has issued interim guidance to help provide employers and other duty-bearers with some clarity on the practical implications of the decision. The interim guidance is to be followed by more in-depth […]
Legal Definition of a Woman is Based on Biological Sex: Employer Implications
The UK Supreme Court yesterday delivered a landmark ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, clarifying that under the Equality Act 2010, the terms “woman”, “man” and “sex” refer exclusively to biological sex. The ruling follows years of debate and legal uncertainty due to conflicting interpretations of whether “sex” in law should […]
New Right to Neonatal Care Leave & Pay
The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 has come into force today, 6 April 2025, introducing a new day-one employment entitlement to neonatal care leave. Statutory neonatal care pay will be available to eligible employees who meet service and earnings criteria. New neonatal care rights Previously, in the absence of specific leave […]
Update: Employment Rights Bill Developments March 2025
The UK government has made significant changes to the Employment Rights Bill (ERB), following extensive consultations with business groups and trade unions. The resulting amendments cover a wide range of employment issues, including agency worker rights, redundancy consultation penalties, fair work enforcement and statutory sick pay reforms. For UK employers, these changes signal greater regulatory […]
Changes in Employment Rates & Rules April 2025
In April 2025, several significant changes to statutory rates and employment law rules will come into effect in the UK. Key updates include: National Minimum and Living Wage Increases From 1 April 2025, all UK employers must apply increased minimum and living wage rates. The most significant change is the extension of the […]
New Powers for Govt to Take Employers to Tribunal
The Fair Work Agency (FWA), introduced in the March 2025 amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, has been given sweeping new enforcement powers. One of the most significant changes is its ability to take employers to an Employment Tribunal on behalf of workers who may be unwilling or unable to pursue a claim themselves. This […]
Amendments to Employment Rights Bill – March 2025
Following a round of consultations, the government has published its response, announcing a series of amendments to the Employment Rights Bill. Amendments to Employment Rights Bill The key changes to the Bill include: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Eligibility for SSP has been expanded to include approximately 1.3 million low-wage workers earning less […]
New Statutory Miscarriage Leave for Bereaved Parents
The UK government has confirmed that parents who experience a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy will now be entitled to statutory bereavement leave of two weeks. The change will be brought in under the Employment Rights Bill, granting mothers and their partners the right to take two weeks of bereavement leave following pregnancy loss […]
Plans for Right to Disconnect Shelved
The UK government’s plans to introduce a legal “right to disconnect”—allowing workers to ignore work-related communications outside of office hours—appear to have been scrapped. Right to disconnect – status update The proposal was initially a key element of Sir Keir Starmer’s “New Deal for Working People,” aimed at strengthening employment rights and improving […]