LRD guides and handbook June 2000

Law at Work 2000

Introduction (701 words)

Since publication of the 1998 edition of the Law at work, there have been major changes in the field of employment law, with new ...

1. The UK legal system (1483 words)

In the UK there are two systems of law. Common law is law developed over the years by judges when giving their rulings in ...

2. Categories of worker (2219 words)

An individual's status, that is whether they are an "employee", or a "worker" is very important in establishing their statutory rights. An "employee" is ...

3. Starting work and the employment contract (4696 words)

Most employers require a reference before they will employ someone. Although employers are not obliged to give a reference, if the reason why they ...

4. Rights to pay and conditions (4746 words)

Under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, UK workers have the right to a minimum wage, currently set at £3.60 an hour for those ...

5. Union organisation (3000 words)

To gain access to many of the rights covered in this section, the union needs to be recognised by the employer. In the past ...

6. Discrimination (5409 words)

Currently the law prohibits discrimination on specific grounds only. These are on the grounds of: sex; race and nationality; disability; and transsexuality. ...

7. Sickness and the law (1593 words)

Anyone off work through sickness should normally receive, as a minimum, statutory sick pay (SSP) which, for 2000-01, is £60.20 for those earning at ...

8. Maternity leave and pay (2220 words)

In May 2000 the government announced a review of the issues surrounding maternity pay and parental leave. This will look at the levels of ...

9. Industrial action (5818 words)

The law as it applies to industrial action covers not just strikes but lockouts, overtime bans (even where voluntary), go slows, working to rule, ...

10. Dismissal (8077 words)

Every year thousands of people pursue unfair dismissal claims. It is the largest single category of the claims coming before tribunals. Anyone who is ...

11. Redundancy (4389 words)

A worker is dismissed for redundancy, and may be entitled to redundancy pay, if either of the following occurs: ...

12. Business transfers and contracting out (3156 words)

If a company is bought out by another (except where the change occurs through a share transfer) or if a service is privatised or ...

Publications and Information (219 words)

Throughout the booklet references have been made to the relevant statutes. Copies of these can be obtained direct from The Stationary Office but are ...