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Trade Union Representation Resources

You may be surprised to learn that when attending meetings with your employer you are only entitled to be accompanied by a work colleague or a trade union representative.

In addition, you may be surprised to learn that the right to be accompanied only extends to disciplinary or grievance hearings, and not for example investigation meetings or consultation meetings in a redundancy process. However, some employers may offer the opportunity to be accompanied by a work colleague or trade union representative in meetings which do not strictly meet the definition of a disciplinary or grievance hearing.

Even though there is a right to be accompanied in disciplinary and grievance meetings, many employees will not have a representative in the meeting, either because they are not members of trade unions or because they fear subjecting their work colleagues to victimisation if they were to accompany them in meetings with their employer.

The good news for employees faced with this sort of dilemma is that you do not have to be a member of a trade union to have a trade union representative, and our team are delighted to be able to refer you to a professional trade union representative who will accompany and you represent you in meetings with your employer.

The trade union representatives that we work with can help you at a time when you most need it by:

  • Presenting your case
  • Asking questions of your employer and their witnesses
  • Ensuring the process is followed correctly
  • Ensuring that you do not say anything that would jeopardise your position

 

How will the teacher strikes affect you?

How will the teacher strikes affect you?

The news this week that teachers from the National Education Union had voted for more strike action in England and Wales will have left lots of working parents – and their employers – wondering how they are going to manage if the employee’s child’s school is closed.

Can a flexible working request be reversed?

Can a flexible working request be reversed?

For many, the Covid-19 crisis is starting to feel like a distant memory. However, there are still changes to the way we live and work today that were influenced by the restrictions that were put in place. The biggest example in employment law is the shift to working from home.

New redundancy protection legislation

New redundancy protection legislation

New legislation is expected to complete its course through parliament giving rise to new requirements on employers to offer alternative positions to those subject to redundancy during pregnancy or in the six months after returning to work and businesses must be ready to respond.

Settlement Agreement Advice

Settlement Agreement Advice

Katie Ash explains and answers some questions about settlement agreements.

New legislation on tipping protocols

New legislation on tipping protocols

Hospitality workers must receive all gratuities and service charges without deductions in future.

Dyslexia- What reasonable adjustments should your employer be making?

Dyslexia- What reasonable adjustments should your employer be making?

World Dyslexia Awareness Week 2022 will run from the 3rd to the 9th October. This annual event aims to raise awareness of dyslexia amongst the general public, educational institutions, and employers.

Holiday pay ruling upheld for part year workers

Holiday pay ruling upheld for part year workers

Holiday pay for those who work only part of the year and have no contractually set hours should be calculated on the basis of average earnings, the Supreme Court has confirmed. 

What counts as bullying in the workplace?

What counts as bullying in the workplace?

Experiencing unfair treatment in the workplace can be distressing and can have an impact on your life both in and out of work. You may be worried about your financial situation if you leave, your performance at work, or suffer from low self-esteem. However, there are laws to protect employees from such treatment, but you must first understand what type of negative treatment you are experiencing under the law. In this article, we look at what bullying in the workplace is, and what you can do if you are a victim.

Employment Law: Age Discrimination in the Workplace

Employment Law: Age Discrimination in the Workplace

Age discrimination claims to employment tribunals have risen steeply since the pandemic, and a recent case has highlighted the challenge for employers using a mandatory retirement age.  

Restrictive Covenants

Restrictive Covenants

At Banner Jones Solicitors, we can help with all aspects of employment law. In this video, we will discuss restrictive covenants and how they can impact you. For more information, watch our video. 

Brexit: supporting your European employees in the UK & British employees abroad

Brexit: supporting your European employees in the UK & British employees abroad

As the UK prepares for the end of the Brexit transition, new laws will be coming into place from 1st January 2021 which will affect businesses, as well as the people who work in them. But what are the expectations on you as an employer?

Health & Wellbeing in The Workplace

Health & Wellbeing in The Workplace

As an employer, you will know just how important the wellbeing of your staff can be, but it’s not always easy to implement. At a recent ‘Listen & Learn’ event in Chesterfield, Banner Jones Solicitors’ Employment Law team discussed the importance of having a wellbeing focus in the workplace and, in this article, Head of Employment Law, Katie Ash focusses on the methods of best practice when it comes to ensuring that strategies are all encompassing and effectively implemented.
Uber drivers entitled to workplace protections

Uber drivers entitled to workplace protections

The ‘gig’ economy is characterised by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work, as opposed to permanent jobs. Depending upon your viewpoint, it is either a positive working environment that offers a great deal of flexibility (for example, employment hours in the control of the individual) or it is a form of worker exploitation with very little protection (for example, lack of paid holidays, sickness benefit and so on).

To employ or not to employ?

To employ or not to employ?

For a new business the first year is all about survival, but what happens when your business is doing more than just surviving and is starting to flourish? As a business grows it is inevitable that the amount of time that needs to be invested to secure its future is too much for one person, particularly if that person is a working parent wanting to maintain a sensible work-life balance.
GDPR – TIPS FOR EMPLOYEES

GDPR – TIPS FOR EMPLOYEES

Complying with GDPR is the responsibility of every employee so we’ve written some tips on how you can help your business stay compliant.

The Gig Economy

What is the “gig economy” and how large is it? The gig economy is defined as “a labour market characterised by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs”.
The General Data Protection Regulations

The General Data Protection Regulations

What do you need to know? The General Data Protection Regulations (‘GDPR’) come in to force on the 25th May 2018 and whilst the Regulations are new, the principles and requirements are not. The GDPR is an overhaul of the Data Protection Act 1998 (‘DPA’), and extends to the processing of personal data of all data subjects in the whole of the EU. Brexit will not prevent businesses from needing to comply with the Regulations. In practice for those businesses that have already been complying fully with the DPA, they should not need to undertake much work to ensure that they are compliant with the GDPR, and will at the very least have the basics in place.

Notification of email checks required

Notification of email checks required

A recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights has provided further specific clarification of companies’ responsibilities in respect of their employee email policies. Katie Ash, Head of Employment Law said, “The ECHR ruling in case of Bogdan Bărbulescu could shape extent to which firms can monitor employees’ private communications”. In essence, the court ruling says that not only must a company policy inform employees that they reserve the right to monitor employee emails, but they must also let employees know when they are doing so.

The impact of Brexit on the UK’s Employment Law

The impact of Brexit on the UK’s Employment Law

As the Nation waits with baited breath to discover what the Government’s strategy for leaving the EU will be, when it will happen and whether it will be a ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ Brexit, many employers are, unsurprisingly, concerned about what the future of employment law will look like. How quickly will it change, what will their obligations be, and what steps will they need to take to ensure compliance?

Employees negligence can amount to gross misconduct

Employees negligence can amount to gross misconduct

The Court of Appeal recently ruled that a senior manager’s negligence in failing to ensure that a colleague followed company policy could amount to gross misconduct justifying the manager’s summary dismissal.

Do employers care about their employees financial well-being?

Do employers care about their employees financial well-being?

A recent study has found that only one in three employees believes their employer cares about their financial wellness.

Which benefits do employees value the most?

Which benefits do employees value the most?

We’re living in a world where employee benefits are perhaps more varied than ever before.

Unfair Dismissal Guide

Unfair Dismissal Guide

A guide for employees with essential information on employment rights, capability, conduct, gross misconduct, redundancy, illegality and automatic unfair dismissals.

Online Privacy in the Office

Online Privacy in the Office

Companies are within their rights to monitor the private online activities of their employees when they are in the office.

Talk to our team

We take data privacy very seriously, and we want you to understand and feel confident about how we collect, store and handle your personal data. If you’d like to find out more you can read our Privacy Policy.