Employment Law Bulletin - May 2021

• Published date: 07 June 2021
• Subject Matter: Employment and HR, Health & Safety, Employee Rights/ Labour Relations
• Law Firm: Wrigleys Solicitors
• Author: Ms Alacoque Marvin

I would like to start this month by extending a very warm invitation to our annual Employment Law Conference which takes place on 10 June 2021. We are excited to announce that, after years of welcoming delegates to a face-to-face event in Leeds, the conference will take place virtually this year. The theme of the conference is Leading in Challenging Times and will look at challenges for the notfor-profit sector in leading hybrid and remote teams and managing people in the current context. It will feature a fascinating key note presentation from Susanne Jacobs, an organisational behaviour and performance specialist, focused on unearthing the secret to motivation, trust and engagement in hybrid teams. You can find out more and book for this event through the link below. I look forward to seeing you there!

In our first article this month, we highlight the upcoming changes to Right to Work checks. A return to usual practices for the physical checking of original right to work documents is scheduled for June. And from 1 July, new rules will apply when checking right to work status for EEA nationals.

There have been two useful judgments in the Employment Appeal Tribunal which we cover this month, both considering health and safety related claims. In Flatman v Essex County Council, the EAT considered whether an employer had fundamentally breached the employment contract by failing to provide manual handling training to a support assistant who had to lift a disabled child on a daily basis. In Sinclair v Trackwork Ltd, the EAT had to decide whether a manager had been automatically unfairly dismissed for bringing in unpopular new health and safety protocols.

We also cover a recent case on compulsory vaccination heard in the European Court of Human Rights. This case challenged a Czech law under which penalties can be imposed on parents who fail to have their children vaccinated against specified diseases. Although this case is not in an employment context and pre-dates the Covid pandemic, it provides a useful insight into how human rights based challenges of schemes to penalise vaccine refusal might be approached. You can find out more on this tricky issue for employers by attending our Employment Law Conference on 10 June.

We are always interested in feedback or suggestions for topics that may be of interest to you, so please do get in touch.

Right to work checks and changes coming in 2021 for European Nationals

What employers need to know to avoid civil penalties.

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