Employment & HR

The King’s Speech 2024 has confirmed that there will be two employment Bills in the new parliamentary session. What are they and when will they be in force?

Government review. The Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 introduced a new right to paid leave for victims of domestic abuse in Northern Ireland, although there’s no date yet for it to come into force. At that time, it was expected the rest of the UK would follow suit as the government commenced a review of the statutory leave provision to consider whether it provided enough support for domestic abuse victims. ...

New legislation. The government has announced that it’s to introduce new legislation to clarify that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) can’t legally be enforced if they prevent victims from reporting a crime or from accessing support or legal advice. NDAs include settlement agreements and confidentiality clauses. The legislation will ensure information related to criminal conduct can be discussed with the following groups without fear of legal action: (1) police and other bodies that investigate or prosecute crime; (2) qualified and regulated lawyers; and (3) other support services that operate under clear confidentiality principles, such as counsellors, advocacy services or medical professionals. The other parts of settlement agreements, etc. will retain their legal effects. ...

A 2023 First-tier Tribunal judgment in a tax case has highlighted the dangers of using generative AI for conducting research, particularly if used in the defence of an employment tribunal claim. What happened and what lessons can be learned?