Employment Law Review
Thompsons’ Employment Law Review is recognised as an authoritative source of comment and discussion from our trade union law specialists. Available to read here, and also via a weekly email bulletin, the Employment Law Review offers considerable insight into the latest issues affecting trade unions and their members.
Employment rights
Employment rights
Weekly Issue 919
Did a clause requiring an employee to pay back the training fee amount to a restraint of trade?
The Court of Appeal has ruled that a training repayment clause requiring an employee to repay £8,108 on leaving employment was an unenforceable restraint of trade, with important implications for employers and trade unions.
Employment rights
Weekly Issue 919
Government launches review of the employment rights of unpaid carers almost three years after the Carers Leave Act was passed.
The government has launched a consultation on carers’ leave and support for parents of seriously ill children, exploring potential reforms including paid carers’ leave, extended leave entitlements and stronger workplace rights.
Employment rights
Weekly Issue 918
The Government responds to the consultation on setting up the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSNB) and sets out its proposal as to who will be in scope.
The Government has confirmed the scope of the new School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB), covering pay, terms and conditions for school support staff in England, while excluding agency workers from sector-wide bargaining arrangements.
Employment rights
Weekly Issue 916
Leedham v Royal Mail Group Limited - Does a digital online payslip comply with the legal duty on employers to provide a written payslip?
The EAT has ruled that digital-only payslips can comply with the Employment Rights Act 1996. Learn what Leedham v Royal Mail means for employers and the legal risks of electronic pay statements.
Employment rights
Weekly Issue 914
Government moves to overhaul “broken” fit note system with pilots focused on keeping people in work
The government plans to overhaul the fit note system to improve support for staying in and returning to work, with pilots testing personalised plans and wider healthcare involvement.
Employment rights
Weekly Issue 912
Radical Reform Proposals Aim to Tackle Deepening Employment Tribunal Backlog
The Employment Lawyers Association has called for urgent and wide‑ranging reforms to the employment tribunal system, warning that delays are undermining access to justice for workers and employers alike amid a growing backlog of cases.
Unfair dismissal
Weekly Issue 911
Tarbuc v Martello Piling Ltd
Employers cannot use section 111A as a blanket shield to exclude evidence where claims are made in addition to unfair dismissal, such as unlawful deduction from wages claims, discrimination claims, detriment claims, or automatic unfair dismissal.
Equality, discrimination and harassment
Weekly Issue 911
Women and Equalities Committee launches inquiry into disabled people’s access to flexible working
Despite greater flexibility around hours, shift patterns and location, the disability employment gap remains entrenched.
Employment rights
Weekly Issue 910
McMahon v AXA ICAS Ltd
This is a significant and novel decision for employees relying on permanent health insurance schemes and for employers who provide them. The judgment confirms that contractual PHI benefits may survive dismissal and can be enforced as “wages” under the ERA.
Employment rights
Weekly Issue 910
Draft Regulations Propose Six‑Month Tribunal Time Limits
Draft regulations have been laid before Parliament that would extend the time limit for bringing the majority of employment tribunal claims from three months to six months.
Employment rights
Weekly Issue 909
The Right to be Informed You Can Join a Trade Union
Section 58 of the Employment Rights Act 2025, inserts a new section 136A into TULRCA 1992 which will require employers to give workers a written statement advising that they have the right to join a trade union.
Employment rights
Weekly Issue 909
Kankanalapalli v Loesche Energy Systems Ltd
The judgment is an important reminder that conditional job offers can still create binding contracts. It will be important for unions and prospective employees to carefully consider the terms of the offer and whether the conditions can only be satisfied after a contract has been formed.