Introduction (1682 words)

Employment law continues to change and expand, with the introduction every year of new legislation and judgments that affect the way the law is ...

1. The employment law system (4243 words)

Employment rights in the UK come from two main sources. The first is legislation enacted by Parliament in the form of Acts of Parliament ...

2. Categories of worker (6746 words)

There are legal distinctions between an employee, a worker and someone who is genuinely self-employed. These distinctions are important because individuals have different statutory ...

3. Starting work and the employment contract (8543 words)

Most employers require a reference before they will employ someone. Young workers starting work for the first time are likely to come with references ...

4. Rights to pay and conditions (5233 words)

Under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, UK workers have the right to a minimum wage, currently set at £5.05 an hour for those ...

5. Union and collective organisation (5180 words)

Union and collective organisation rights are principally governed by the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULRCA), which was amended by the ...

6. Discrimination (12690 words)

The law prohibits discrimination in employment on the following specific grounds: sex, race and nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief and transsexuality. Age ...

7. Sick pay and sickness absence (3487 words)

An employer must provide an employee with details of its sick pay entitlement as part of the written statement of employment particulars (see “The ...

8. Leave for working parents (4673 words)

The rights of working parents to time off and pay to care for their children were improved in recent years with the extension of ...

9. Industrial action (5902 words)

The law relating to industrial action covers not just strikes but lockouts, go slows, working to rule, refusing to cross picket lines and refusing ...

10. Dismissal (13120 words)

Unfair dismissal accounts for the largest single category of claims coming before tribunals, with thousands of people pursuing claims every year. But changes brought ...

11. Redundancy (5842 words)

An employee is dismissed for redundancy, and may be entitled to redundancy pay, if either of the following occurs (section 139, ERA 96): ...

12. Business transfers and contracting out (6547 words)

If a business is sold (other than through a share transfer) or if a service is privatised or contracted out, the employees who work ...

Further information (615 words)

Throughout the booklet references have been made to the relevant statutes. Copies of these can be obtained directly from The Stationery Office (tel: 0870 ...