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Dear Guest, |
Welcome to the June edition of our Commercial Client update. In this month's issue we take a look at a smorgasbord of recent legal developments which could affect your business, ranging from employment law to the correct use of CCTV.
As usual, there are a fair number of recent issues of which employers should be aware. The latest round of increases to the National Minimum Wage have been announced. The new rates, which come into effect from October 2008, can be found on our website - just click on the relevant article from the list, below.
Employers should also be up-to-date with the most recent changes to rules which apply to skilled foreign workers. Following the introduction in February 2008 of the highly-skilled migrants programme, the Government has announced strict new criteria that will apply to skilled and temporary workers applying to come to Britain to fill skilled vacancies in the labour market. For more information, select the relevant article below.
There have also been a couple of interesting employment law cases. One concerned a lesbian soldier, Kerry Fletcher, who has won her claim against the Ministry of Defence for sex discrimination and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. The other case - Ashcroft v Haberdashers Aske's Boys School - was somewhat technical in that it concerned the extension of time limits in unfair dismissal cases. Essentially, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled that a claim should not be lodged before the outcome of an internal appeal. For further details on either of these cases, see the links to articles, below.
New rules regarding Corporation Tax returns give an extra incentive to lodge them early. From 31st March 2008, returns lodged by the normal due date will only remain open for enquiry for one year after they are filed, as opposed to one year after the due date.
If you operate CCTV on your premises, it is worth taking a look at the updated Code of Practice from the Information Commissioner's Office. It warns organisations, in particular, against the use of sound recording unless the circumstances are highly exceptional.
Finally, a recent case considered the ability of a landlord to resist an application from their tenant to buy the property. It was decided that a plan to redevelop only part of the entire block of flats was not effective as a reason to block the tenant's application.
We hope you have found this update interesting and informative. If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised - or indeed any other legal concerns you may have - please do get in touch. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the summer!
Regards,
Brian McLelland
