Carr Review into industrial disputes
Bruce Carr has published a report on his scaled back review of industrial disputes. The review was commissioned in the wake of allegations by employers that members of the union had intimidated their staff. As there was insufficient evidence the review was limited in scope.
The report found that there were certain industries that were targeted with ‘extreme tactics’ more than others, e.g. construction and manufacturing. Carr identified 8 themes of tactics: inappropriate behaviour on picket lines; victimisation/ harassment of non strikers; victimisation/ harassment of managers; disruption to business etc; attempts to influence third parties; wildcat action and extreme tactics by employers. Carr also published contributors’ suggestions how to deal with these issues.
CCTV Code of Practice.
In the light of the rapid technological developments of surveillance equipment (such as automatic number plate recognition), the Information Commissioner’s Office has published an updated data protection Code of Practice for CCTV/ surveillance cameras. The Code notes public concerns about the use of technology to collect evidence to inform wider decisions than the original purpose. There has been a strengthening of the regulatory landscape through the Protection of Freedoms Act and there has been an appointment of a Surveillance Camera Commissioner to promote a new surveillance camera code and review its operation and impact.
Meanwhile the new CCTV Code provides good practice advice for those involved in operating CCTV/ other surveillance camera devices. The recommendations are based on the data protection principles.
Government guidance on 'Bring Your Own Device'
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is the practice of employees using their own laptops, phones and tablets to conduct business. With the expansion of home and flexible working, security risks have increased with staff using their own devices. The government has now published a set of guidance notes on managing these risks, setting out best practice to ensure that personal devices do not access sensitive data whilst ensuring that employees do not compromise security by finding ways round the controls. The guidance should be read together with the Information Commissioner’s BYOD data security guidance published in March 2013.
Family friendly Regulations
New regulations have been published extending parental leave to parents of children aged between five and 18 from 5 April 2015 and extending adoption leaver to foster carers who foster a child under the ‘Fostering for Adoption’ scheme:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2014/9780111121559/introduction
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2014/9780111121634/introduction
There are also further draft regulations extending shared parental leave to prospective parents adopting from outside the UK and draft regulations giving rights to prospective parents of a child born to a surrogate.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2014/9780111121528/introduction
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2014/9780111121542/introduction
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2014/9780111121573/introduction
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2014/9780111121641/introduction
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2014/9780111121665/introduction
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2014/9780111121627/introduction
Separately, BIS has published a guide for employers on administering the new shared parental leave/ pay rights: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-parental-leave-and-pay-employers-technical-guide
All Change... possibly
The three main parties, Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats have each made their employment lawproposals at their respective annual conferences. What can we expect? Labour proposes to increase the minimum wage to £8 by the end of the next parliament; to require companies with more than 250 employees to publish average pay of men and women; to provide ‘equal rights for the self employed’; and to extend free childcare to working parents with children aged three or four.
The Conservative party proposes a British Bill of Rights (no surprises there). Whilst the Conservatives would wish the Bill of Rights to replace the Human Rights Act, there is pressure for it to be retained alongside the new Bill. The Conservative party also intends to introduce legislation (the Modern Slavery Bill) to prevent the trafficking of workers and to end exclusive zero hours contracts.
The Liberal Democrats intend to establish an agency for workers’ rights, which would streamline functions presently carried out by four organisations. It plans to increase the national minimum wage for apprentices, give greater assistance to litigants in person and to ensure that the names of jobseekers in the public sector are blacked out to reduce discrimination.