This
week’s news in brief
Tribunals
rethink
The
Employment Tribunals Regulations 2001 were laid before Parliament last week.
They include new powers to strike out ill-founded claims, and an increase to
the costs that can be awarded to an applicant. The regulations are due to come
into force on 18 April 2001. www.dti.gov.uk
Red
tape pledge
William
Hague, leader of the Conservative Party, pledged to only promote those ministers
who managed to reduce regulation if the Tories are elected to power.
He
made his promise at the British Chambers of Commerce National Conference and
Exhibition last week when he stressed his determination to ease the burden of
red tape on business in the UK. www.britishchambers.org.uk
PM
hears concerns
Prime
Minister Tony Blair told employers he is listening to their concerns over plans
to give women the right to return to work part-time after having a child.
Employers
at the British Chambers of Commerce conference in London claimed that extra
rights for new mothers would increase costs.Â
www.britishchambers.org.uk
Posthumous
award
A
cable TV worker made legal history last week when he won his unfair dismissal
case posthumously – some two years after his death. Simon Haddon was sacked by
Telewest Communications because he was taking too much time off for his kidney
dialysis treatment.
Animal
climbdown
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Two
City firms have severed their links with animal testing company Huntingdon Life
Sciences after a campaign of harassment by animal rights extremists.
Winterflood
Securities and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein who financially backed Huntingdon
Life Sciences have been the target of protests led by the Stop Huntingdon
Animal Cruelty group.
