People who contract mesothelioma after working with asbestos could now receive £123,000 as part of a new compensation scheme introduced by the government. Ministers had initially set the figure at £115,000 per case, but have been able to increase it following savings in the cost of administering the scheme. Mesothelioma is a deadly strain of cancer that attacks the linings of the major organs in the body. It is common …Read More

Gender pay gap increases for first time in five years The pay gap between men and women has widened for the first time since 2008. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that women earn £5,000 less on average. The difference is calculated on median hourly earnings for full time workers. The median wage gap increased from 9.5% to 10% in the last year. However, the TUC say …Read More

Government spending £1m to tackle pregnancy discrimination The government is launching an independent research programme to tackle the problem of workplace discrimination against pregnant women. The Minister for Women and Equalities, Maria Miller, has given the go-ahead for the project which will analyse the effect of pregnancy discrimination on both families and the economy. The £1m study will be carried out by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The …Read More

Bankers’ bonuses continue to generate much comment in particular in certain parts of the press. The entitlement to a bonus is however a contractual issue and the parties to the contract are the employer and the employee. The view of the public is irrelevant. Although there is legislation to provide a national minimum wage, there is no legislation to cap a maximum wage. It is however not only bankers who …Read More

While pilot schemes have been operating throughout England, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced that courts will have to be more ‘flexible’ during the Olympics. Other ideas in a government white paper include magistrates handling cases on their own where there is a guilty plea, more use of video links when hearing evidence, and judges operating out of community centres or police stations if necessary. A spokesperson for the Crime …Read More

A scheme to enrol millions of people into workplace pensions automatically was launched on Monday. Up to 10 million are expected to be enrolled eventually in what is hailed as the biggest pensions revolution since David Lloyd George ushered in state pensions a century ago. A handful of the largest employers, with 120,000 or more workers, must place eligible workers into schemes. Firms will join the scheme in a staging …Read More