There is no doubt about the main legal issue at the end of 1996 - the Working Time Directive. On 12 November the European Court of Justice gave its judgment in a case brought by the UK government seeking to get the Directive declared void.
Paid time off for part-time workers attending full-time trade union courses and activities have again come under the legal spotlight.
The political row over the Working Time Directive has rather overshadowed the detail of the provisions and their practical effect.
Can a woman on maternity leave compare her pay and contractual benefits with those of male colleagues on sick leave for the purposes of equal pay and anti-discrimination legislation? How far can a woman take the "sick man comparison"?