Weekly Issue 279

Tribunal fees start next year

Following a consultation earlier in the year on introducing Employment Tribunal fees to initiate and continue claims, the Ministry of Justice has now confirmed they will start operating in the summer of 2013.

Disability conflict

Lawyers are prohibited from acting for a client in a situation where there is a potential conflict of interest. In Croad v University and College Union, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) said that the UCU was justified in withdrawing legal support for a member when she issued proceedings against the union as this represented a clear conflict of interest.

Sick during holidays

Article 7 of the Working Time Directive gives all workers the right to four weeks’ annual leave. In Asociación Nacional de Grandes Empresas de Distribución v Federación de Asociaciones Sindicales and ors the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held that the directive must be interpreted so that workers who are sick during paid annual leave can take it at a later date, irrespective of whether the sick period started before or during the leave.