News and Articles

Covert recordings in the workplace.

24 July 2019 In a recent decision handed down by the Employment Appeal Tribunal in England on 5th July, the court provided helpful guidance in relation to employees who seek to record meetings in the workplace. Given... READ

Equal Pay: Advice for Employers

05 July 2019 The topic of equal pay was back under the spotlight recently when headlines carried the story of a Belfast solicitor being awarded over £270,000 after the Industrial Tribunal found she had not been paid... READ

Early conciliation set to extend Tribunal time limits.

20 June 2019 Regardless of the absence of the local Assembly, mandatory early conciliation, a service already offered in England, Scotland and Wales, is likely to hit Northern Ireland shores in January 2020. The objective of early... READ

The importance of procedure – don’t get caught out!

29 May 2019 A recent Decision of the Industrial Tribunal in Belfast serves as a useful reminder to employers about the procedures that should be followed when dismissing, or taking disciplinary action against, an employee. In the... READ

GDPR Compliance Programmes – 12 months down the track, time to consider a review

The GDPR became effective in all EU member states and in the European Economic Area (EEA) jurisdictions on 25 May 2018, introducing a new harmonised data protection compliance regime. A company’s failure to comply... READ

New legislation could outlaw gagging orders

08 May 2019 New proposals have been unveiled by the government which aim to prevent employers from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to conceal complaints of bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace. Non-disclosure agreements, or ‘gagging orders’... READ

Case of teacher gives guidance on suspending staff

08 April 2019 The question whether an employer should suspend an employee can unfortunately arise in any workplace, whether it is a small business, charity or public sector organisation. In a recent case heard in England –... READ

No aggravated damages for unfairly & discriminatorily dismissed claimant, says tribunal

04 April 2017 In the case of Maria McKeith v The Committee for the time being of Ardoyne Association, Ms McKeith was dismissed by her employer on 27th March 2015 on the grounds of redundancy, unlawfully, the... READ

Primary school unlawfully discriminates against young school girl as a result of her disability (ASD).

20 March 2017 Worthingtons Solicitors were instructed on behalf of a young primary school child, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and who is the subject of a Statement of Special Educational Needs. The... READ

Avoid legal headaches by understanding migraine

06 September 2016 It will likely be an issue for employers when ‘migraine’ is the reason for employee absence and whether this means the affected employee meets the statutory definition of a disabled person. Avoid legal headaches... READ