Introduction (1806 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 (4214 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 (7094 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 (9318 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 (5775 words)

Under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, UK workers have the right to a minimum wage, currently set at £5.73 an hour for those ...

5. Union and collective organisation (5536 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 (15599 words)

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

7. Sick pay and sickness absence (3367 words)

An employer must provide his/her employees with details of their sick pay entitlement as part of the written statement of employment particulars (see “The ...

8. Leave for working parents (4955 words)

The Work and Families Act 2006 introduced a number of new rights for parents and carers from April 2007. These included an increase in ...

9. Industrial action (6494 words)

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

10. Dismissal (14427 words)

Unfair dismissal accounts for the largest single category of claims coming before tribunals, with thousands of people pursuing claims every year. The right to ...

11. Redundancy (7352 words)

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

12. Business transfers and contracting out (7539 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 (434 words)

Throughout the booklet references have been made to the relevant statutes. Copies of these can be obtained online from the Office for Public Sector ...

Employment rights — quick facts (336 words)

u Rest break at work of at least 20 minutes (if working day is six hours long or more). ...