A landmark deal on the rights of agency workers has been agreed between the government, employers and trade unions. Temporary and agency workers in the UK will receive equal treatment after 12 weeks employment. They will be entitled to the same pay   More...
20 May 2008 12:40

Lobbyists have hit back at a report by the TUC-backed Commission on Vulnerable Employment, saying employers shouldn't be punished by tougher laws just because of actions by "rogue organisations". The Hard Work, Hidden Lives report published last  More...
12 May 2008 07:26

Business leaders this morning called on the government and employers to rescue millions of mistreated UK workers from exploitation reminiscent of practices that were considered exploitative in the 19th century. A report by the TUC-backed Commission   More...
07 May 2008 08:10

The ministry of Defence (MoD) will appeal a ruling by the High Court that found sending British soldiers out on duty with defective equipment may breach their human rights. Justice Collins said it had to be recognised that the lives of members of th  More...
11 April 2008 16:47

After six months in the shadows, the Equality and Human Rights Commission is preparing a YouTube awareness campaign.  More...
28 March 2008 12:17

In Finnish Seamen's Union v Viking Line ABP the European Court of Justice held that, in principle, trade unions have the right to take collective action to prevent employers from hiring workers from EU countries that guarantee fewer employment rights. S  More...
15 February 2008 08:32

The UK cannot resist EU employment rights forever, so employers need to plan for the worst-case scenario. Another chapter in the saga of the Temporary Agency Workers Directive ended, yet again, without agreement between member states on this highly  More...
07 January 2008 08:00

The recent furore over the decision of the Oxford Union to invite the leader of the BNP, Nick Griffin, and holocaust denier, David Irvine, to address a debate has thrust freedom of speech to the forefront of the news. But does this concept exist i  More...
07 January 2008 08:00

Prison officers have started to pay a levy to fund a court battle aimed at restoring their right to strike. According to newspaper reports, the Prison Officers Association (POA) has been collecting a monthly levy of £1 from its 37,000 members to ra  More...
24 October 2007 09:49

Rumours that the first task of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) will be to re-brand itself as the EHRC remain, like so many other questions regarding the new organisation, unconfirmed. Yet with less than a week to go before the sup  More...
24 September 2007 14:20

More high-level criticism has been heaped on the retrospective nature of the government's controversial changes to the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP). A Lords and Commons Joint Committee on Human Rights report  yesterday warned t  More...
10 August 2007 14:41

The government should resist trade union calls to extend the gangmaster licensing regulations to other sectors such as care homes, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has said. The current licensing scheme focuses on the food in  More...
31 July 2007 15:00

On 31 May 2007, the government announced a new legal power for teachers to search their pupils for  knives and other offensive weapons without consent. So do employers have a similar power to search their employees if they suspect one of their work  More...
03 July 2007 00:00

The government has published a consultation on the Discrimination Law Review , which aims to modernise discrimination legislation. It includes proposals for a Single Equality Bill that would will put the law on equality and discrimination   More...
12 June 2007 12:40

The government has pledged to investigate the illegal trafficking of migrant workers into the UK that was unveiled last night after a BBC investigation. Undercover Lithuanian journalist Audrius Lelkaitis posed as a migrant worker for the BBC and fo  More...
26 April 2007 11:03

Police officer recruits, community support officers and special constables should have DNA checks to ensure they have no criminal record, the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) has advised. Tony Lake, Acpo lead on forensic science and   More...
05 January 2007 08:42

Experts warn that employer buy-in is essential if Bill is to succeed.  More...
05 July 2006 09:56

Tony Blair admits to concern over Lords ruling on asbestos compensation.  More...
14 June 2006 00:00

Radical legislation that will create a raft of new rights for workers in China will be laid before the Chinese parliament in two weeks’ time, according to sources close to the government.  More...
13 June 2006 09:38

Monitoring staff can be done without breaching the Human Rights Act. Michael Ball, employment partner, Halliwells, reports   More...
30 May 2006 08:00

Anti-discrimination policies must take into account the rights of transsexuals to be treated according to their acquired gender at work.  More...
08 February 2006 08:01

Guide to dealing with bullying outlines key steps to tackling the problem.  More...
16 August 2005 10:54

The GMB has accused some employers of dehumanising their workforce, after a report for the union showed the use of electronic tagging for staff was on the rise  More...
07 June 2005 15:00

The new pope said workers' rights should be protected in his first Sunday speech in Rome.  More...
03 May 2005 15:11

The TUC is today demanding action from employers to introduce clear and effective HIV and AIDS policies in the workplace in the run up to World AIDS Day later this week. With so much discrimination and prejudice surrounding HIV and AIDS, many individu  More...
29 November 2004 10:22

As Christmas approaches, be wary of the expectations employees may have of your obligations towards them. Andrew Yule, in the litigation team at Withers LLP, explodes 12 Festive Office Myths  More...
23 November 2004 08:00

The first ever equality and human rights director for the NHS has been appointed to spearhead the NHS diversity agenda. The new director, Surinder Sharma, will promote the NHS action plan on leadership and race equality as well as tackling  More...
14 October 2004 10:28