This chapter looks at the background to the Working Time Regulations, the core working time rights and the specifics of the law. It then considers some of the arguments that have been raised both for and against such regulation. The Working Time Regulations regulate daily rest, weekly working time, weekly rest and annual leave, among other matters. The maximum weekly working time is forty-eight hours, but the UK has retained an opt-out to this, so a person can agree to work more hours. The opt-out remains extremely controversial amongst fellow European Member States. The chapter also considers remedies if the rights are breached.
Chapter
26. Working time
Book
Stephen Taylor and Astra Emir
Employment Law provides an introduction to the issues of employment law and regulation for those studying a variety of subjects including human resource management (HRM) and business management, as well as an easy explanation for students of law. Case exhibits in every chapter illustrate employment law in action, whilst activities test understanding of the law and its application in the real world. In addition, a dedicated, very practical chapter on preparing and presenting a case gives an opportunity to demonstrate understanding using a fictional scenario, through which a greater insight into the challenges faced before an employment tribunal can be gleamed. This fifth edition includes full coverage of the Taylor Report, the Gender Pay Gap Regulations, GDPR/Data Protection Act 2018, the Trade Union Act 2016 and the likely effect of Brexit. The text also encompasses a revision of core legal content including changes to tribunal fees and case law concerning employment status.
Chapter
1. The rise of employment law
This chapter defines some key terms and then focuses on the two questions that are most often debated when people consider the revolution in employment regulation that has occurred in recent decades: Why have we seen such a growth in the extent to which the employment relationship is regulated in the UK? What are the advantages and disadvantages of increased employment regulation for the UK’s economy and people? In answering these questions the chapter introduces some of the major themes which underpin the evaluative material in this text. It also considers attempts made by recent governments to lessen the burden of regulation on employers, most of which have been widely perceived as having had, at best, very limited effect. Finally, it considers the consequences and impact of how employment tribunal fees before they were abolished, and looks at the decline in membership of trade unions and its effect.
Chapter
2. Sources of employment law and institutions
This chapter discusses the sources of UK employment law and relevant institutions, and looks at court structure. The main source is statutes—Acts of Parliament, regulations and EU law. The common law is judge-made and has evolved over centuries as cases are brought to court and appealed up through the court hierarchy. The laws of contract, trust and tort all play a part in employment regulation. Most cases relating to common law matters are brought to the County Court or the High Court. Employment tribunal cases can be appealed to the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) and then the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and, if concerning an EU matter, to the European Court of Justice. Other important institutions in the employment law include the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Chapter
21. Wages and benefits
This chapter examines the distinct areas of employment law that regulate the payment of wages and benefits. It starts by focusing on the national minimum wage and national living wage legislation, describing how these work in practice and assessing the many debates that still surround the effectiveness and impact of this legislation. It goes on to explain the situations in which employers can and cannot lawfully make deductions from pay packets, the right for all employees to receive an itemised pay statement and the administration of statutory sick pay (SSP). Finally, it briefly discusses the regulation of occupational pension schemes.
Chapter
4. Unfair dismissal—reasons and remedies
Employment tribunals must address three questions when faced with an unfair dismissal claim: Is the claimant entitled in law to pursue his/her claim? Was the main reason for the dismissal potentially lawful? Did the employer act reasonably in carrying out the dismissal? This chapter begins by distinguishing between three different types of dismissal claims that are brought to employment tribunals: unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal and constructive dismissal. It goes on to discuss the first two of the three questions. It describes the four possible outcomes when a claimant wins an unfair dismissal case: reinstatement, re-engagement, compensation and a declaration that a dismissal was unfair. In practice, compensation is by far the most common outcome. The chapter then considers debates on remedies in unfair dismissal cases.
Chapter
6. Redundancy
This chapter discusses redundancy law in the UK. Redundancy, which generally occurs when an employer reduces its workforce for economic reasons, is a common form of ‘potentially fair’ dismissal. There are three lawful ways in which selection for redundancy can be achieved: last-in-first-out, points-based approaches and employee selection processes. Redundancy payments must be equal to the statutory minimum and are often higher due to additional contractual arrangements which are more generous. Notice periods must also be honoured. UK redundancy law is often criticised because it is less procedurally cumbersome and requires employers to compensate less than is the case in other larger EU countries. This suggests that multi-national corporations dismiss their UK employees before counterparts elsewhere in Europe.
Chapter
7. Contractual employment rights
This chapter introduces the basic principles of the law of contract as they apply to contracts of employment. It focuses on three issues in particular. First we look at how contracts are formed in the context of an employment relationship and at the conditions that need to be in place if a contract of employment is to be enforceable in a court. We then go on to discuss how employers can go about lawfully varying the terms of contracts by using flexibility clauses and other approaches. Finally we discuss the need to provide employees with written particulars of their employment soon after they start working in a new job.
Chapter
8. Implied terms
This chapter looks at the terms which are implied into contracts of employment. Implied terms are those that are deemed to be present by a court despite never having been explicitly agreed or even discussed by the employer or employee. The chapter begins by setting out the different types of implied term, differentiating these from other types of terms, before going on to explore the major implied terms and their significance. It focuses in particular on the duty to maintain a relationship of mutual trust and confidence as this is the area in which the most significant legal developments have occurred. It then considers situations in which implied terms conflict with express terms, before discussing procedural issues in breach of contract cases.
Chapter
9. Wrongful and constructive dismissal
This chapter begins with an exploration of wrongful dismissal law, which has for many decades provided employees who are dismissed in breach of their contracts with the opportunity to apply to a court for damages. In recent decades wrongful dismissal has been superseded to an extent by unfair dismissal law, which provides a more satisfactory remedy for most who are unlawfully dismissed. But there are circumstances in which the longer-established law continues to play a role, and this is the focus of the first part of the chapter. It then moves on to look at constructive dismissal law, which appears to become more significant each year as precedents are set and more people become aware of the possibilities it offers when they resign from their jobs as a direct result of suffering unacceptable treatment from their employers.
