Weekly Issue 425

New flexible working guide

Acas has this week published a new flexible working guide to help working fathers strike a better balance between work and home.

Waiving EC

Since the introduction of mandatory early conciliation (EC) in May 2014, claimants have been required to contact Acas before lodging a tribunal claim, unless their claim is exempt. In Cranwell v Cullen, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) held that there is no discretion under the rules to waive or vary that requirement.

On the buses

The law states that employers have to have a fair reason for dismissal and must act reasonably in treating that as a sufficient reason to dismiss their employee. In Jinadu v Docklands Buses, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) held that employers do not have to put a disciplinary investigation on hold until they deal with an employee’s grievances even if the individual is at risk of dismissal.