CONTENTS
EMPLOYMENT STATUS.........................................................................................................................................................................................................6
ARE THEY AN EMPLOYEE?..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
a) Establishing a contract of employment.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
THE WORKER.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................9
Limb b worker................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................9
WHO IS THE EMPLOYER?.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................10
ATYPICAL FORMS OF WORK....................................................................................................................................................................................................................10
Gig-Work:.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................10
Flexibilisation:..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................11
THE EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT...........................................................................................................................................................................................12
FORMATION:...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................12
TERMS OF THE CONTRACT.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................12
The Written Statement................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................12
IMPLIED TERMS............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................13
IMPLIED TERMS IN FACT..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................14
INCORPRATED TERMS..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................14
VARIATION...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................15
Implied Terms in Law...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................16
A. Implied duties of employee:...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................16
(DUTY OF LOYALTY AND FIDELITY) COMPETITION:.............................................................................................................................................................................................................16
(CONTINUED) NON-COMPETITION:.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................17
CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCLOSURE...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................17
B. Implied Duties of the Employer...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................17
1. Duty to Provide Work.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................17
2. Duty to remunerate.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................17
3. Duty of Care.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................18
4. Mutual Trust and Confidence (POTENTIAL ESSAY QUESTION)........................................................................................................................................................................................18
Interplay of Terms....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................20
Is statute a floor or a ceiling?...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................20
Implied terms in Law v Express Term..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................20
, ENFORCEMENT AND DAMAGES...............................................................................................................................................................................................................21
Duty to Remunerate....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................21
Retention and Deduction.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................21
National Minimum Wage.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................21
Protected Disclosure....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Whistleblower Protection:...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Subject Matter of Disclosure:...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Disclosure in Public Interest:................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Mode of Disclosure:.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Remedies:.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Confidentiality: Privacy and Free Speech....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................23
Protection of Employee Privacy...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................23
Private Speech......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................23
Academic Freedom..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................24
TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT.......................................................................................................................................................................................24
TYPES OF DISMISSAL................................................................................................................................................................................................................................24
COMMON LAW – WRONGFUL DISMISSAL...............................................................................................................................................................................................25
1. Dismissal...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................25
2. Wrongfully (Repudiatory Breach)............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................25
The Notice Rule........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................25
A. Statutory Notice...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................26
B. PILON................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................26
Cases Where Notice is Not Required.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................26
1. Justified Summary Dismissal (Repudiation by Employee)...............................................................................................................................................................................................26
2. Constructive Dismissal.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................27
3. Dismissal by Non-Renewal of a Fixed-Term Contract......................................................................................................................................................................................................27
Failure to Follow Fair procedure before Dismissal..................................................................................................................................................................................................................27
Implied term of Trust and Confidence:................................................................................................................................................................................................................................27
Breach of an express term to follow a fair procedure:........................................................................................................................................................................................................28
When Does Employment End Following Unjustified Dismissal Without Notice?...................................................................................................................................................................28
Uncertainty Removed:.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................29
DAMAGES................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................30
Loss of Pay for period of notice or unexpired fixed term........................................................................................................................................................................................................30
+ Wages for period it would have taken to carry out CDP......................................................................................................................................................................................................30
+ any other sums the employee was entitled to under the contract......................................................................................................................................................................................30
What cannot be claimed:.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................30
, Deductions...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
Duty to mitigate loss................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
Mistake.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
Equitable Remedies.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
Injunctions................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
STATUTORY POSITION – UNFAIR DISMISSAL...........................................................................................................................................................................................32
Qualifying Criteria........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................32
1. Employee (s.94(1))...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................32
2. Qualifying Period of 2-years.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................33
3. Exclusions on the Right to Claim..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................33
Caveat to Exclusion by Agreement: Settlement Agreements:.............................................................................................................................................................................................33
Dismissal.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Termination by Employer........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Stand and Sue:.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Fire and Rehire:....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Expiry of a Limited Term Contract (LTC)..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Constructive Dismissal.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Implied trust and Confidence..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................35
Last Straw Cases...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................35
Termination by Operation of Law............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................35
Frustration (NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT)...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................35
When Does Dismissal Take Effect?..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................35
Reasons for Dismissal (BULK OF DISCUSSION IN PQs).................................................................................................................................................................................................................36
Automatically Fair Reasons (Employer’s Immunity)................................................................................................................................................................................................................36
Automatically Unfair Reasons..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................36
Burden of Proof....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................37
Potentially Fair Dismissal:........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................37
QUESTION 1 – POTENTIALLY FAIR REASONS...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................38
Capability or qualification....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................38
Competence.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................38
(Ill)-health.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................38
Qualifications...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................38
Conduct / misconduct..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................38
Failing to respect express or implied terms in the contract............................................................................................................................................................................................38
Disciplinary rules..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Criminal Offences.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Suspicion of misconduct..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Suspicion of several employees.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
, Consistency......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Redundancy..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
A. statutory test...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Closure of the business....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................40
B. Redundancy and unfair dismissal................................................................................................................................................................................................................................40
1. Statutory redundancy payments.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................41
illegality................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................41
Some Other Substantial Reason (“SOSR”)...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................41
(a) Statutory grounds.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................41
(b) other sosr grounds: Quasi-redundancies / variation of employee’s contractual terms and conditions / reorganisation of the employer’s business............................................41
(c) Extension of the other grounds of fairness - capability, conduct to be included in SOSR.........................................................................................................................................42
(d) Pressure to dismiss.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................42
Burden of proof for potentially fair reasons........................................................................................................................................................................................................................42
Written statement of reasons..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................42
in a CORPORATE body whose reason do we consider?.......................................................................................................................................................................................................42
Question 2: Reasonableness of Employer’s Behaviour (s.98(4)).............................................................................................................................................................................................42
The ACAS Code of Practice...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................43
REMEDIES.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................43
INDUSTRIAL ACTION...........................................................................................................................................................................................................45
What is it?....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................45
1. Liability in Tort.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................46
2. IS THE UNION LIABLE IN TORT?............................................................................................................................................................................................................50
STATUTORY IMMUNITY:..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................50
LOSS OF IMMUNITY:....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................51
3. Remedies.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................55
DISCRIMINATION................................................................................................................................................................................................................62
1. Protected Characteristics.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................62
A. Sex (s.11)..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................62
B. Gender Reassignment..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................62
C. Sexual Orientation...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................62
D. Racial Grounds.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................63
E. Religion or Belief......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................63
F. Disability:..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................64
2. The Concept of Discrimination.............................................................................................................................................................................................................65
Direct Discrimination...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................65
EMPLOYMENT STATUS.........................................................................................................................................................................................................6
ARE THEY AN EMPLOYEE?..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
a) Establishing a contract of employment.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
THE WORKER.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................9
Limb b worker................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................9
WHO IS THE EMPLOYER?.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................10
ATYPICAL FORMS OF WORK....................................................................................................................................................................................................................10
Gig-Work:.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................10
Flexibilisation:..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................11
THE EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT...........................................................................................................................................................................................12
FORMATION:...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................12
TERMS OF THE CONTRACT.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................12
The Written Statement................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................12
IMPLIED TERMS............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................13
IMPLIED TERMS IN FACT..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................14
INCORPRATED TERMS..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................14
VARIATION...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................15
Implied Terms in Law...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................16
A. Implied duties of employee:...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................16
(DUTY OF LOYALTY AND FIDELITY) COMPETITION:.............................................................................................................................................................................................................16
(CONTINUED) NON-COMPETITION:.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................17
CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCLOSURE...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................17
B. Implied Duties of the Employer...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................17
1. Duty to Provide Work.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................17
2. Duty to remunerate.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................17
3. Duty of Care.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................18
4. Mutual Trust and Confidence (POTENTIAL ESSAY QUESTION)........................................................................................................................................................................................18
Interplay of Terms....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................20
Is statute a floor or a ceiling?...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................20
Implied terms in Law v Express Term..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................20
, ENFORCEMENT AND DAMAGES...............................................................................................................................................................................................................21
Duty to Remunerate....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................21
Retention and Deduction.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................21
National Minimum Wage.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................21
Protected Disclosure....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Whistleblower Protection:...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Subject Matter of Disclosure:...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Disclosure in Public Interest:................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Mode of Disclosure:.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Remedies:.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Confidentiality: Privacy and Free Speech....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................23
Protection of Employee Privacy...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................23
Private Speech......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................23
Academic Freedom..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................24
TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT.......................................................................................................................................................................................24
TYPES OF DISMISSAL................................................................................................................................................................................................................................24
COMMON LAW – WRONGFUL DISMISSAL...............................................................................................................................................................................................25
1. Dismissal...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................25
2. Wrongfully (Repudiatory Breach)............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................25
The Notice Rule........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................25
A. Statutory Notice...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................26
B. PILON................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................26
Cases Where Notice is Not Required.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................26
1. Justified Summary Dismissal (Repudiation by Employee)...............................................................................................................................................................................................26
2. Constructive Dismissal.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................27
3. Dismissal by Non-Renewal of a Fixed-Term Contract......................................................................................................................................................................................................27
Failure to Follow Fair procedure before Dismissal..................................................................................................................................................................................................................27
Implied term of Trust and Confidence:................................................................................................................................................................................................................................27
Breach of an express term to follow a fair procedure:........................................................................................................................................................................................................28
When Does Employment End Following Unjustified Dismissal Without Notice?...................................................................................................................................................................28
Uncertainty Removed:.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................29
DAMAGES................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................30
Loss of Pay for period of notice or unexpired fixed term........................................................................................................................................................................................................30
+ Wages for period it would have taken to carry out CDP......................................................................................................................................................................................................30
+ any other sums the employee was entitled to under the contract......................................................................................................................................................................................30
What cannot be claimed:.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................30
, Deductions...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
Duty to mitigate loss................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
Mistake.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
Equitable Remedies.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
Injunctions................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
STATUTORY POSITION – UNFAIR DISMISSAL...........................................................................................................................................................................................32
Qualifying Criteria........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................32
1. Employee (s.94(1))...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................32
2. Qualifying Period of 2-years.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................33
3. Exclusions on the Right to Claim..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................33
Caveat to Exclusion by Agreement: Settlement Agreements:.............................................................................................................................................................................................33
Dismissal.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Termination by Employer........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Stand and Sue:.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Fire and Rehire:....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Expiry of a Limited Term Contract (LTC)..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Constructive Dismissal.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Implied trust and Confidence..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................35
Last Straw Cases...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................35
Termination by Operation of Law............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................35
Frustration (NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT)...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................35
When Does Dismissal Take Effect?..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................35
Reasons for Dismissal (BULK OF DISCUSSION IN PQs).................................................................................................................................................................................................................36
Automatically Fair Reasons (Employer’s Immunity)................................................................................................................................................................................................................36
Automatically Unfair Reasons..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................36
Burden of Proof....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................37
Potentially Fair Dismissal:........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................37
QUESTION 1 – POTENTIALLY FAIR REASONS...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................38
Capability or qualification....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................38
Competence.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................38
(Ill)-health.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................38
Qualifications...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................38
Conduct / misconduct..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................38
Failing to respect express or implied terms in the contract............................................................................................................................................................................................38
Disciplinary rules..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Criminal Offences.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Suspicion of misconduct..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Suspicion of several employees.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
, Consistency......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Redundancy..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
A. statutory test...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Closure of the business....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................40
B. Redundancy and unfair dismissal................................................................................................................................................................................................................................40
1. Statutory redundancy payments.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................41
illegality................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................41
Some Other Substantial Reason (“SOSR”)...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................41
(a) Statutory grounds.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................41
(b) other sosr grounds: Quasi-redundancies / variation of employee’s contractual terms and conditions / reorganisation of the employer’s business............................................41
(c) Extension of the other grounds of fairness - capability, conduct to be included in SOSR.........................................................................................................................................42
(d) Pressure to dismiss.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................42
Burden of proof for potentially fair reasons........................................................................................................................................................................................................................42
Written statement of reasons..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................42
in a CORPORATE body whose reason do we consider?.......................................................................................................................................................................................................42
Question 2: Reasonableness of Employer’s Behaviour (s.98(4)).............................................................................................................................................................................................42
The ACAS Code of Practice...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................43
REMEDIES.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................43
INDUSTRIAL ACTION...........................................................................................................................................................................................................45
What is it?....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................45
1. Liability in Tort.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................46
2. IS THE UNION LIABLE IN TORT?............................................................................................................................................................................................................50
STATUTORY IMMUNITY:..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................50
LOSS OF IMMUNITY:....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................51
3. Remedies.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................55
DISCRIMINATION................................................................................................................................................................................................................62
1. Protected Characteristics.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................62
A. Sex (s.11)..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................62
B. Gender Reassignment..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................62
C. Sexual Orientation...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................62
D. Racial Grounds.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................63
E. Religion or Belief......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................63
F. Disability:..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................64
2. The Concept of Discrimination.............................................................................................................................................................................................................65
Direct Discrimination...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................65
