Law at Work May 2018 - Hot topics

The working lives of others around the world

In 'The Work Lives of Others' Taylor Wessing posed five short questions to employment law specialists in Germany, the UK, France, Japan, Indonesia and China to get their perspectives on modern working practices around the world in a project co-authored with the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

This is a fascinating snapshot into different employment regimes, and how they are each dealing with questions of an evolving workplace.

Ministry of Justice to raise awareness of tribunal fee refund scheme

The Ministry of Justice is to send out letters to potentially eligible claimants and respondents to raise awareness of the refund scheme which reimburses fees paid before the Supreme Court decision in July 2018 holding employment tribunal fees to be unlawful.

Large numbers of potentially eligible people have not applied since the scheme was rolled out in full in November 2017. At the time, it was estimated that refunds would reach £17m, but so far it is unlikely that this figure will be reached in the current year.

All workers entitled to itemised payslips from April 2019

All workers (not just employees) will be entitled to an itemised payslip setting out the hours worked, rates of pay and any deductions from 6 April 2019, and will be able to enforce that right at an employment tribunal if necessary.

The extension of the right to an itemised payslip from employees to workers was promised in the government's response in February 2018 to the Taylor Review of modern working practices.

The Employment Rights Act 1996 (Itemised Pay Statement) (Amendment) (No.2) Order 2018 (SI 2018/529) has now been made and will take effect from 6 April 2019, although it will not apply to any wages or salary paid in respect of work before that date.