Posts from the ‘Employment Law’ Category
We recently acted in the purchase of a local pharmacy business in Comber. We would take this opportunity to congratulate our client, Nisco Healthcare Limited, on its successful acquisition of Parker Pharmacy and wish it well for the future. Details of their introductory offers can be found at www.facebook.com/parkerpharmacycomber.
We dealt with all the legal aspects of the transaction on behalf of our client including the purchase of the business and assets, the transfer of existing employees and the taking of a new lease.
If you are interested in buying or selling a business, whether a company, partnership or sole trader, we have the expertise to guide and assist you. Please contact us for further information or an informal initial discussion on 028 91 811652 or law@thompsons-solicitors.co.uk.
The Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2012 has set new compensation limits for redundancies and unfair dismissals in Northern Ireland. The new limits came into force on 1 February 2013.
The limit on a week’s pay, used to calculate redundancy payments or for unfair dismissal compensation, has gone up to £450 from £430. The maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal claims has risen from £72,300 to £74,200.
Minimum basic awards have also been raised. They have risen to £5,500 from £5,300 for unfair dismissal or selection for redundancy on grounds related to union membership or activities, as well as dismissals for health and safety cases, and those concerning employee representatives and trustees of occupational pension schemes.
If the dismissal occurs before 1 February 2013, the old limit still applies even if compensation is awarded after that date.
Unlimited compensation continues to apply to discrimination claims, the compensatory award for whistleblowing and protected health and safety dismissals.
In a decision given in March 2012, an Industrial Tribunal in Northern Ireland has held that an employee was fairly dismissed for making vulgar comments about a female colleague on his Facebook page.
In the case of Teggart -v- Tele Tech UK Limited, the Tribunal held that an employee was fairly dismissed because comments which he posted on his Facebook page amounted to harassment of a female colleague and breached the employer’s Dignity at Work Policy.
The claimant was employed at a call centre in Belfast. He posted obscene comments about a female colleague on his Facebook page from home. The comment mentioned his employer’s name and was read by some other work colleagues. It was alleged that the comment had been brought to the employer’s attention by a member of the public. The female colleague heard about the comments and asked the claimant’s girlfriend if he would remove them. However that led the claimant to simply post further comments. Read more
The case of HMRC -v- Reed Employment may have serious implications for umbrella companies and other employment businesses.
The landmark case has found Reed Employment, a leading employment agency, to be liable for £158m in back taxes, after 500,000 temps were reimbursed for expenses, which should have been paid as salary.
For more see here.
As a result of the current economic climate, the last few years have seen a sharp rise in redundancies. Only last week Ulster Bank Limited announced that they will be making a further 350 redundancies in Northern Ireland – see here for the story.
The rise in redundancies has in turn seen an increase in the number of people who need advice on a compromise agreement. Employers are increasingly using compromise agreements, especially in a redundancy situation, to avoid any potential future litigation as a result of bringing the employment to an end by offering some sort of financial settlement in return for the employee agreeing not to sue. It can be daunting when handed a legal document by an employer that looks complicated and full of legal jargon. Plus, if you’re being asked to enter into a compromise agreement, you’ll need to get advice from an independent solicitor to explain what the document means if it is to become legally binding. So what is a compromise agreement? Read more
Northern Ireland Law 