Furley Page Blog

The Equal Pay Act 1970 came into force on 29 December 1975.  Whilst it was predicted that women’s pay would swiftly move towards equalisation with men’s this has not happened.  The latest figures derived from the Office of National Statistics’s Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings revealed that, as at April 2009, the gender pay gap for full time employees was 12.2 per cent, comparing median hourly earnings excluding overtime.  Median hourly rates for men were £12.87 for full timers, for women full timers hourly rates were £11.39.

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Employment Law and the Coalition Government

As we know, the General Election in May 2010 failed to deliver a majority mandate for any of the political parties leading to the creation of a Coalition Government of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. There are a number of areas where the new Government’s plans are not clear. However, we do now have the document: 'The Coalition: our programme for government' and the Queen’s Speech was delivered on 25 May 2010. With this in mind, and whilst we are currently very short on detail and timings, it does seems an opportune time to at least consider some possible future changes to employment law that might occur under the Coalition.

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…for the Furley Page HR Forum!

Furley Page's Employment Law team set the HR forum up to encourage experienced HR practitioners in a range of sectors to pro-actively debate, and anticipate for planning purposes, the practical implications that changes in employment law might bring. What it’s not is a mere consideration or repetition of the law. While the law forms an important backdrop to the discussion, the forum explores points of social, economic and political interest; often reaching fascinating conclusions!

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‘Not fit’ or ‘may be fit’? – that is the question

There is a widely held belief that if you are not 100% fit, you should not be in work, or indeed that work may hinder recovery.  On the contrary, isolation brought on by absence from work can lead to stress, anxiety and depression.  The thinking behind the new Fit Note is to focus on what employees can do, rather than what they cannot.  The new Fit Note could potentially benefit not just individuals and their employers but the economy as a whole.  Work related ill health costs Britain more than £100 billion a year.
 

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The European Parliament Women’s Rights Committee has voted in favour of extending the minimum period of maternity leave in the EU from 14 to 20 weeks on full pay.  The 20-week proposals are to go before the full European Parliament this month and are likely to face stiff opposition from member states.

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Significant progress in tackling race discrimination, but is class the new disadvantage?

In a speech designed to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, the Communities Secretary John Denham will announce later today that the government has made significant progress in tackling racism over the last decade.

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The latest advice from Melissa Edmond, Employment Law Solicitor :

It has snowed heavily overnight and you have just heard on the local radio that the schools are closed.  There’s no-one to look after your children.  What do you do about work?

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