Commentary and insights

All items: Collective employee relations

  • The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill: Controversial in theory, unworkable in practice

    Date:
    16 June 2023

    The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill is the Government's response to the widespread industrial action recently seen across public services, including transport, schools and the NHS. But the legislation is fraught with problems - not least because it skips over the question of what a minimum service level actually is, says consultant editor Darren Newman.

  • HR talking point: What is next for employment law?

    Date:
    5 October 2022

    In the current political climate, it seems foolish to make predictions about the Government's future policy in relation to employment law. But amidst widespread speculation about a "bonfire of rights", it is worth looking at what the Government has so far said and done that might indicate the direction of travel, according to consultant editor Darren Newman.

  • HR talking point: Industrial unrest - why more restrictive union laws are not the answer

    Date:
    26 July 2022

    Consultant editor Darren Newman argues that more restrictive trade union laws, such as the lifting of the ban on using agency workers during industrial action and an increase in the level of damages that can be awarded against unions for unlawful industrial action, are not the answer to tackling the current wave of industrial unrest.

  • The 10 most important employment law cases in 2021

    Date:
    8 December 2021

    Despite the coronavirus pandemic, HR professionals have had their fair share of employment law rulings to keep track of in 2021. We count down the 10 most important judgments of the year that every employer should know about.

  • Eight steps to consider when changing your DC pension

    Date:
    12 May 2020

    Changing the defined contribution (DC) pension scheme might be something organisations are considering in the context of furlough or simply in the course of your ordinary business. Done well, change exercises can be a great opportunity to educate and engage employees about pension benefits. Helen Rowan identifies eight practical steps that HR teams should consider to make the pension change a success.

  • Protection from dismissal on grounds of trade union activities - how far does it go?

    Date:
    21 June 2018

    Consultant editor Darren Newman looks at a recent case in which the Court of Appeal had to consider if, in sharing information from a manager's desk diary, a trade union rep had acted outside the scope of trade union activities for the purposes of the automatically unfair dismissal protection afforded by s.152 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

  • Local authority conditions of service

    Date:
    15 November 2017

    This article looks at the structure of nationally and locally negotiated conditions of service in local authorities.

About this category

Commentary and insights: HR and legal information and guidance relating to collective employee relations.