Miller Samuel Hill Brown Solicitors Blog

Whilst many employees may be looking forward to planning three long weekends in May this year, many employers may be left questioning whether their workforce is in fact entitled to all three upcoming bank holidays.

2021 has been a year of widespread rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine (and most recently the Covid Booster Jab). However, the new Omicron variant has many concerned about the efficiency of the original Covid vaccine and it is now looking increasingly likely that Covid Vaccinations and Booster Jabs will continue well into 2022. With more employees being asked to return to the workplace, we look at the issues for employers going forward regarding vaccinations and what happens where some employees are vaccinated and others are not.

With the inflation rate at the highest level in forty years, and employers struggling to keep wages in line, the UK is currently facing the largest number of strikes since 1989. There is no positive legal right to strike within the UK, however, the law does provide a defence (statutory immunity) for those who take part in any lawful industrial action. As the discontent continues amongst workers in 2023, and further strikes are scheduled, employees and employers should be aware of the procedures which must be followed for a strike to be consider lawful.

After months of speculation in 2022 about the anticipated increase to the UK’s SPA from 66 to 67 by 2028, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP)’s second review of the SPA is set to conclude this year. Laura Trott MP (Pension Minister) has recently written to the Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee to confirm that we should expect to receive the Government’s independent reports ‘no later’ than the Government’s own pension report.