Overall the UK’s unemployment rate remains at its lowest since 1974 at 3.8%, with female unemployment reaching a new record low of 3.6%.
The largest fall in unemployment was also among people unemployed for over a year – showing the success of a reformed welfare system designed to help people overcome their personal barriers to work.
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Holiday pay claims increase since tribunal fees abolished 23 July 2019
New TUC analysis reveals that 1 in 14 workers are not getting their legal holiday entitlement, workers are missing out on £3.1bn of paid leave each year and over a million workers are getting no paid leave at all.
It is little wonder that more people are taking holiday pay claims through the courts. According to the TUC the number of people taking unpaid holiday claims has more than doubled since tribunal fees were abolished in 2017, following a legal victory by UNISON.
The majority of holiday pay cases are found in the claimant’s favour, with values ranging from £18.94 to £11,000. Most are for a few hundred pounds.
The analysis estimates that nearly two million employees (1.960 m) are not getting the minimum paid leave entitlement they are due. And over a million (1.145 m) are not getting any paid leave at all.
The TUC says the main reasons people are missing out are:
• Workers being set unrealistic workloads that do not allow time to take leave. • Employers deliberately denying holiday requests and managing out people’s leave. • Employers not keeping up to date with the law.
Minimum holiday entitlements are a vital part of reducing overwork, says the TUC. People who work excessive hours are at risk of developing heart disease, stress, mental illness, strokes, and diabetes, which also impacts on co-workers, friends, and relatives.
The TUC wants HMRC to be granted new powers to clamp down on employers who deny staff their statutory holiday entitlement. This would include the power to ensure that workers are fully compensated for missed holidays.
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Consultation on Sexual Harassment in the Workplace 26 July 2019
The Government Equalities Office (GEO) has published a consultation which aims to gather evidence about whether the current laws on protecting people from sexual harassment in the workplace are effective.
Sexual harassment is defined as any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that makes you feel intimidated, degraded, humiliated or offended. The Equality Act 2010 says that employers are legally responsible if an employee is sexually harassed at work by another employee, and the employer had not taken all steps they could to prevent it from happening. The Government is looking at whether the current laws on this issue provide the protections they’re supposed to; considering whether there are any gaps and thinking about what more can be done at a practical level to ensure people are properly protected at work.
The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Payroll: need to know
cipp.org.uk
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