Law at Work - February 2019

Features

Court of Appeal finds Asda's store staff and distribution centre staff "comparable": what could this mean for UK employers?

We consider the Court of Appeal's equal pay decision that (female) retail staff may compare themselves to (male) distribution workers, and what other UK employers should do now.

EU Settlement Scheme – Launch of Public Testing from 21 January 2019

Deal or no deal, EU nationals living in the UK will have to apply for settled status. The government's scheme is now open to applications, and is free.

Beware of the tax on cryptoassets for employees

New guidance on the taxation of cryptoassets means that employers considering rewarding employees in this form should beware of the tax consequences.

Is an NDA still worth the paper it's written on?

News reports of sexual harassment in the workplace has triggered public discussion about the use of confidentiality clauses (non-disclosure agreements). Are NDAs still an effective or realistic legal tool to use when settling employment disputes involving unproven allegations? If they can't be enforced, what are they worth?

Case law update

Offering medical retirement based on part-time salary was not unfavourable treatment

An employee dropped from full-time to part-time work before he took early retirement on medical grounds. The Supreme Court held it was lawful to calculate his pension based on his salary immediately before his retirement. Advantageous treatment is not less favourable treatment simply because it could be more advantageous.