Author Archives: Darren Newman

About Darren Newman

Employment law consultant, trainer, writer and anorak

Dominic Cummings and a case of unfair dismissal

I have to admit I laughed out loud when I saw this headline in the Guardian Adviser sacked by Cummings may have case for unfair dismissal – expert Oh do you think so? Could it be that calling someone in … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized, Unfair Dismissal | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Reforming NDAs – why it won’t solve the real problem

The first thing to be clear about is that almost any settlement of a potential Employment Tribunal claim will include a confidentiality clause. This may be called a non-disclosure agreement or an NDA. If you are a journalist. the term … Continue reading

Posted in Employment Tribunals, settlement agreements, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

New (and rather modest) proposals on pregnancy and redundancy

On a dull and extended train ride home last night I was perked up by a report that the Government was extending the rights of pregnant women. The report from the BBC (based on this Government press release) says: The … Continue reading

Posted in pregnancy discrimination, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Of course vegans are protected by the Equality Act!

A vegan is claiming discrimination after being sacked from his job at the League Against Cruel Sports. The emphasis of the BBC story is on whether or not Mr Casamitjana’s beliefs will be protected under the Equality Act as a philosophical … Continue reading

Posted in Equality Act, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Supreme Court finds no discrimination in ‘gay cake’ case

Well I think the Supreme Court got it right – probably. In Lee v Ashers Baking Company Ltd they hold that there was no discrimination when a bakery refused to bake a cake for a customer bearing the slogan ‘support … Continue reading

Posted in Equality Act, Fair Employment, Sexual Orientation | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

My Pimlico Plumbers Prediction (updated)

UPDATE: so the decision is out and it seems to be mainly Option 1 (see below). Lord Wilson’s decision does, I think, move the law on a bit when it comes to the right to send a substitute. When looking … Continue reading

Posted in Employment status, Taylor Report, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

‘Last Chance Saloon’ for gender pay gap reporting?

With just days to go before the deadline for large employers to submit their gender pay gap information (30 March for the public sector, 4 April for the private and third sectors) the press is full of concern that many … Continue reading

Posted in gender pay gap, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Government responds to the Taylor Review

I imagine that Matthew Taylor is pleased with the response the Government has given to his “Good Work’ review of Modern Employment Practices. A (mainly) positive response to all but one of his recommendations (the Government seem determined not to … Continue reading

Posted in Employment status, Taylor Report | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Iceland, equal pay and enforcing the gender pay gap regulations

So the internet informs me that Iceland has become the first country in the world to make it illegal to pay men more than women. Iceland has not, of course, passed a law saying that it is illegal for an … Continue reading

Posted in Equal pay, Equality Act, gender pay gap, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Classic Employment Law Songbook

Over the past year I’ve been recording a series of podcasts looking at classic employment law cases and seeing what relevance they have today. I try to put each into its historical and legal perspective and one part of that … Continue reading

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