member

• East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) members invited to take a guided tour of Dart Fisher at Great Yarmouth Base • Dart Fisher provides first-hand opportunity to view state-of-the-art capabilities to service energy providers in the Southern North Sea • Fendercare Marine’s operational base showcases its flexibility in providing a platform to mobilise operations into the Southern North Sea

James Fisher Marine Services Ltd (JFMS), and Fendercare Marine, both subsidiaries of James Fisher and Sons plc (JFS) – the UK’s leading marine services provider, held an open day to demonstrate the capability of their shoreside support base and the offshore support vessel, the Dart Fisher.

The Dart Fisher, which was berthed in the Fendercare Marine base in Great Yarmouth, is a state-of-the-art vessel which has been specifically designed to service the offshore energy industry, is a 26-metre catamaran with the capability to transfer up to 12 engineers, three 20ft containers with a total combined cargo weight of 30 tonnes.

The open day not only provided walk-on tours of the vessel, but gave the opportunity for guests to ask questions about the vessel to the skipper and the first mate.

The delegates were specially invited from EEEGR, which represented over 400 members from across the energy supply chain. Celia Anderson, director of Skills for Energy, EEEGR praised the initiative by saying: “Today, I have had a unique opportunity to take a guided tour of a very impressive vessel designed specifically to service marine offshore energy industry, which not many people have the chance to do. This provided a great experience for myself, but more importantly the wider members of the skills council who vary from work experience students to current employees such as Gareth, who is working with Skills for Energy for Job Centre Plus, and Loren who has just completed an MSc at the University of East Anglia on Meterology and Oceaography, specialising in offshore engineering. For these people, this opportunity is invaluable”.

John Best, head of sustainable energy at FFMS commented by saying: “I was delighted by the reaction we had from our guests, especially from those who are considering the industry for future careers. Much is said about ‘local content’, but I feel sure that by sharing our knowledge and experience in this way we will have no shortage of skilled, competent people looking to work in the offshore marine services industry”.

So you have a new addition to your family. That’s fantastic news! But after spending the last few months settling into parenthood, your mind may now be turning to going back to work.

If returning to your job is something you’re excited about, well that’s great. But we wouldn’t blame you if you’re also feeling a little nervous about how you’re going to handle the change in lifestyle.

Becoming a mum is a huge responsibility, so the thought of adding another plate to the ones you’re already spinning may well be daunting! It’s completely natural to question your ability to manage motherhood while being a good employee. And it’s also normal to feel a little doubtful about going to work when your child is still young.

So if you’re a ‘returnee’, read through our advice about stepping back into the world of work. We hope it’ll help make the process less worrying.

1.Talk to your employer early Set a return date well in advance so everyone knows when you’re expected back and you can start planning child care. Why not go in for meetings to reintegrate into work? At Pure, we have ‘Keeping in Touch Days’ so ladies coming back from maternity leave start to integrate back into the business gradually with support of a mentor. Think about scheduling time with the person covering your job, and read meeting minutes and key emails. This should help reduce the pressure since you’ll already be up to speed.

2.Set up reviews When you return set up regular meetings with your line manager to track your progress. You can discuss any concerns and, at a later date, find solutions to obstacles that may be blocking your career development. Also, after you’ve settled into work, review your own goals. Have your ambitions changed? If so, what can you do about finding a new direction?

3.Arrange reliable child care Child care can be a source of concern for working parents. But, besides professional child care services, your relatives may also be willing to help out. It’s always a good idea to have a back-up plan in case your usual arrangement falls through. This will give you peace of mind; you’ll know that there will always be someone available to take care of your child so you can focus at work.

4.Have faith in your skills Trusting in your ability to juggle tasks effectively is important to your success. If you’re going back to your existing role, be it on a full-time or part-time basis, remember that you’re good at what you do. You may be feeling more tired these days, but you probably haven’t lost the skills that your employer really values. Be confident – you’ll do a fabulous job!

5.Negotiate flexibility It may help easing yourself gently back in your job. How about using any accrued annual leave to ‘buffer’ your return? You could perhaps start on two days and gradually increase your time over the coming weeks. Maybe your employer is open to flexible hours, so you can work around child care, school and other responsibilities.

6.Look after yourself The wellbeing of a mum is essential to the health of a young child. And this shouldn’t change when you return to work. Although you’re going to be very busy, finding some time to look after your mental, emotional and physical health is important. When possible, get a good night’s sleep. Don’t be tempted to snack on fast food or sugary snacks. And try to fit in some exercise – even if it’s a lunchtime speed walk around the local park.

7.Get organised If you’ve never been a big diary-keeper, now might be the ideal time to start! Making daily to-do lists will help you manage tasks. And by adding appointments as soon as they’re arranged, you should be able to keep track of which family members are doing what – and when. So, hopefully, there’ll be no surprises that’ll hinder your return to work.

Although returning to work is going to be a challenge, we really hope that our advice will support you in making that transition from full-time mum to working parent.

Emergency plans will be put to the test this November during an emergency exercise at Norwich International Airport. The exercise will start at 11.00am on Wednesday (Nov 12) and is expected to last until 15.00pm.

Norwich Airport Facilities Manager, Mel Gray said: “Norwich International Airport is required to undertake a large scale exercise every two years in order to satisfy the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). During the intervening year the airport undertakes a table top exercise, however this year we are undertaking a smaller scale exercise to test the response of staff working within the terminal building. This exercise, will test our response and exercise our arrangements with external emergency services.”

“It is essential that we have plans in place to deal with emergencies to ensure the best response possible. Such plans are best validated through emergency exercises and we are extremely fortunate that in Norfolk there is a commitment from the emergency services and other emergency responders to work together in this way.”

As well as the airport employees, the Norfolk Constabulary, British Red Cross and local authoritieses will be involved in the mini exercise. This ensures that multi-agency working can be practiced and evaluated during the exercise.

Any lessons that are identified through this exercise will be used to inform the plan review process and will be disseminated to other relevant organisations to ensure that best practice is shared.

Agricultural update: Ensure your compliance with changes to rules on Plant Protection Products

The law and regulation on using a plant protection product (PPP) is a rapidly changing area. As new chemicals and technology develop, so too does the governance of their use and application.

‘Grandfather rights’ ceasing

In 2015 ‘grandfather rights’ (which allow anyone born before 31 December 1964 to use PPP’s authorised for professional use without holding a certificate of competence) will come to an end. The Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012 (The 2012 Act) allow ‘grandfather rights’ to continue until 26 November 2015. After this date, everyone who uses PPP’s authorised for professional use must have the certification required for that PPP. Practically, this requirement is likely to have greater effect on small farms where there are no certified employees or contractors carrying out crop protection work. Those who are currently relying on ‘grandfather rights’ are advised to get the relevant training and qualifications well before 26 November 2015.

Obligations on PPP buyers

Even if farmers do not apply PPP’s themselves, The 2012 Act creates an obligation on those buying the PPP’s to ensure that those applying them have an appropriate training certificate (or will be working under the direct supervision of someone who does). Clearly, if the buyer is using the PPP’s himself, he must ensure he holds the required certification to use them. Likewise, buyers must also ensure that any employees using the PPP’s have the correct certification (including those who previously made use of ‘grandfather rights’). This obligation is likely to be a particular issue for farmers who buy their own chemicals and then get a contractor to apply them. The contractor must have the correct certification and farmers will need to be assured of this when the chemicals are purchased (practically, it is best to ask to see contractors’ certification before hiring them).

Storage and Disposal of PPP’s

According to The 2012 Act farmers have a duty to take all reasonable precautions to ensure that the storage, handling and disposal of PPP’s, remnants (old chemicals and unused tank mixes), packaging and cleaning of equipment does not endanger human health or the environment. All PPP’s should be stored in a chemical storage unit which is lockable and reduces the risk of unwanted releases.

It is advisable to keep up to date on which chemical licenses are being withdrawn, for example the recent EU ban on neonicotinoid compounds. It may be that approval for a PPP is withdrawn whilst it is in storage on the farm. Often there is a period during which stored supplies of a withdrawn substance can be used but this is not guaranteed and storing products that are no longer approved can constitute an offence. This highlights the importance of seeking legal advice wherever there are concerns.

Disposal of PPP’s is highly regulated, particularly for out of date products or products classed under the Hazardous Waste Directive (European Council Directive 91/689/EEC). After a product has been used, its container should be thoroughly rinsed and the empty container should be kept in the chemical store until it is disposed of properly. Farmers should engage a licensed hazardous waste removal contractor to dispose of left over, restricted or out of date chemicals or take the waste to a licensed waste disposal site. Your local authority will be able to provide information on sites with such facilities. Whichever method of disposal is used, farmers should record what has been disposed of or ask the waste removal contractor for a consignment sheet detailing what has been taken.

Inspection and maintenance of equipment

The 2012 Act has also introduced a requirement of owners of PPP application equipment to have the equipment inspected. The inspections will make sure the equipment has been maintained correctly and is in good working order. The requirement applies to people who own, or lease, sprayers and all other application equipment (except for handheld and knapsack sprayers). It is important to note that equipment that is not in use or is not used for applying pesticides is not affected. Equipment that is 5 years old or more on 26 November 2016 will need to have one inspection before that date. From 26 November 2016, equipment must have an inspection every 5 years and, after 26 November 2020, inspections must occur every 3 years.

Professional users must conduct regular calibrations and technical checks of the PPP application equipment they use. When doing this, they must have regard to the nature of the equipment and carry out checks in accordance with the training that they received to gain certification.

Clearly, some of the requirements implemented by The 2012 Act and developments in regulation will involve significant costs to farmers, particularly regarding training and proper disposal of PPP’s. However, the possible ramifications of non-compliance are great, not only in expense, but stress and damage to reputation.

Note: The content of this article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Specific legal advice should be taken in any specific circumstance.

If you need any advice on the above please contact our Agricultural Team on 01603 610911. The team has extensive working knowledge of PPP Regulations, the practical implications of The 2012 Act and experience in protecting businesses against enforcement action taken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Following a recent successful challenge against the actions of the HSE inspector the business owner said: “Thanks to our outstanding legal team, headed by Darren Bowen a Partner in Leathes Prior’s Dispute Resolution and Agricultural Teams, we can now start trading again”.

SMS growth results in construction of larger manufacturing facilities Specialised Management Services Ltd (SMS), a subsidiary of Alderley plc, officially announces today its plan to relocate to larger facilities to accommodate company growth. SMS are internationally renowned in the oil and gas industry as leading specialists for the supply of hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical control systems.

The £3 million state of the art building will be constructed on a 100,000 sq.ft. plot at the Beacon Park business park in Great Yarmouth, almost double in size to the existing base on the Harfreys Industrial Estate. In addition to the main plot SMS have purchased adjacent land for future expansion. The construction of the workshop and office facilities will commence at the end of November 2014.

The much needed increase in capacity will allow SMS to service the needs of its expanding client portfolio as well as strategically introducing new product lines ensuring SMS maintains it full growth ambitions.

The larger purpose built facility will feature two dedicated test bays for pressure testing and operational testing with modern observation zones for improved safety and the workshop will be equipped with a built-in overhead lifting crane. The move is expected to create at least 50 new jobs in engineering and manufacturing in the region.

Dave Howlett, Managing Director of SMS comments. “This investment by the Alderley Group underpins an ongoing support and commitment to the growth and development of SMS and will help strengthen SMS’s position and expand its offering to the oil and gas industry worldwide. We have a strong and talented pool of people that have helped us achieve our current success and, with larger production facilities, we as a team look forward to continuing our expansion in order to meet the rising global demand for our products and services.”

Cllr Trevor Wainwright, the leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: “The fact that so many businesses in the energy sector supply chain are continuing to grow within and expand into the Great Yarmouth borough represents a huge vote of confidence in the local economy, the skills of the workforce, the port and business park facilities, and the Enterprise Zone status.

“The borough council is pleased to welcome the news that SMS Ltd have chosen Beacon Park for the development of their prestigious new office and production facility. The council looks forward to the doors opening for business and sees the news as support for its continued promotion of the park as the location of choice for businesses expanding in the borough.”

“Now is a particularly exciting time for Beacon Park, as construction on new units continues apace, new occupiers move in, and work starts on the new A12/A143 link road, thanks to both private and public investment, including a significant contribution from the borough council.”

LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for online networking, job seeking and researching employers. Once a niche social media platform, in November 2014 it recorded more than 332 million members in over 200 countries and territories!

Clearly, the site is a big player when it comes to being seen by the right people: recruiters, employers and other important contacts.

But are you on LinkedIn? If not, and you are looking for new opportunities maybe it’s time to sign up and show the world your expertise, experience and qualifications. You may well attract recruiters like Pure’s consultants who are looking for someone with your background. Or an employer who frequently browses profiles, keeping an eye out for new talent.

LinkedIn is forever evolving, adding handy functions. We’ve taken a good look at its features for you, and highlighted the ones that we think will make your profile shine.

1. Customise your profile URL Creating an easy-to-remember and readable URL on your LinkedIn profile makes it easier for you and other people to share. If you don’t do this, the website will generate a generic URL, which looks clunky and untidy. A customised URL looks like this: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tomearl. It’s a very straightforward  simply edit the URL underneath your profile photo.

2. Join a professional group LinkedIn groups are ideal getting your name out there and keeping up with industry developments. By answering other people’s questions and contributing to online discussions you’ll be demonstrating your enthusiasm and expertise. As long as you think carefully about what you’re going to say before you start typing, it can be a very valuable tool.

3. Choose your skills carefully You can select key skills that you want other people to endorse. But be careful what you choose since recruiters and employers may judge you on these. People who’ve worked with you will endorse the skills that they’ve seen you use. So if you’ve selected ‘project management’ and you’re genuinely experienced in this area, you’ll probably see ex-colleagues endorse that skill on your profile. The ones with the most endorsements will take priority on your skills list.

4. Make your headline snappy When it comes to adding the relevant careers information, lots of people only focus on employment history, education, qualifications and training courses. But you also need to work on your headline. Click on ‘edit profile’, then go to the little pencil icon next to your headline (that’s the bit underneath your name), and write something that sums up what you offer to employers. You’ve only got 120 characters, so make it snappy!

5. Ask for an introduction If there’s someone you’re dying to get in touch with, perhaps a mutual contact can introduce you. Just like networking in the ‘real world’, asking someone to introduce you to a third party can be a powerful tactic. LinkedIn has an online version of this. Remember to be professional when you make a request, and be clear about why you’d like to be introduced since the message may be forwarded on to the new contact.

6. Who’s checking you out? This useful LinkedIn feature lets you see who’s viewing your profile! Not only is it fascinating to see who’s reading your information, but you can also see how many profile visits you’re getting. Simply hover your cursor over ‘Profile’ at the top of your homepage, and ‘Who’s viewed your profile’ will automatically drop down. Click on this to see who’s visited. You can connect with new people who are already familiar with your skills.

7. Use your updates Make the most of your updates. Add a useful website article or a video for other people to view. This increases your visibility on the homepage, potentially catching the attention of your connections – and your connections’ connections!

8. Look the part Don’t use a personal party snap on your profile! Get a friendly, professional-looking head shot taken. Since people’s eyes are naturally drawn to images on the web, your photo needs to give the best possible first impression.

We think that you’ll agree that these LinkedIn features are just brilliant for your professional reputation. But remember there’s no substitute for getting off the internet and picking up the phone to speak directly to recruiters who have a wealth of available jobs in the East of England.

Anglian’s
expert Scaffolding team is helping this year’s Norwich Science Festival to make
a grand entrance in The Forum.

Anglian has
erected a three metre by three metre scaffolding archway to welcome visitors into
the Explorium – the main hub for Norwich Science Festival’s week-long programme
which features more than 200 talks, shows and exhibitions.

The archway is covered
in artwork designed by local agency DesignPod and printed by CIM Signs &
Graphics. Anglian has also constructed three large tables using scaffolding inside
the Explorium, in preparation for hands-on activities for children during the
festival.

Wayne Sampson,
senior scaffolding commercial manager at Anglian, said: “Scaffolding provides a
more sustainable means of creating the dramatic entrance and workspaces Norwich
Science Festival wanted, which is also in-keeping with the eclectic nature of
this event. As a local company, we are delighted to do our bit to support for
this fantastic event in the city.”

Danie Hadley,
marketing and communications manager at Norwich Science Festival, said: “We are
grateful for all the local companies who are supporting this year’s event,
which is our ninth annual Norwich Science Festival. Huge thanks to all at
Anglian for making this happen, it looks absolutely brilliant in the Atrium at
The Forum – a real showstopper!”

Anglian’s
Scaffolding team is highly skilled in all manner of structures for both
commercial and domestic projects. Find out more at Scaffolding – Anglian Demolition & Asbestos.

Norwich Science
Festival runs from 15^th – 22^nd February 2025.

Omega Holidays hosted a very special flight to view the Northern Lights from Norwich International on the evening of Friday 21st November.

During the experience passengers took a journey through a star studded sky, and heard about folklore legends in a quest to see one of the most spectacular natural phenomena known to man…….The Northern Lights.

Guest astronomers guided the passengers on a voyage of exploration and discovery through the winter night sky to view natures very own spectacular light show from the aircraft. The flight has proven to be extremely popular, with Omega Holidays already making plans to repeat the flight during 2015.

Dino Toouli, Head of Trade Sales at Omega Holidays commented “.It’s great to see such a strong demand for our Northern Lights flight from Norwich. This is probably the best and cheapest ways to experience the lights, above the clouds at 30,000 feet!” Toouli added, “The Norwich flight has been one of our best performing flights and I see no reason why we won’t be doing more flights next year.”

Andrew Bell, Chief Executive of Norwich International Airport, said “It is fantastic to be able to offer this excursion for the first time from Norwich International and we are delighted that it has proved popular. Our objective is to provide an ever increasing range of destinations and products to the travelers in our region. The addition of this special flight compliments the services we currently offer. Following the success of this flight we are hopeful that Omega Holidays will build on this and introduce further options for local travelers in 2015.”

‘Abandonment’ and ‘fly-grazing of horses’ are growing problems for landowners in the UK and have both recently been the subject of extensive debate across the country. This article outlines just some of what you need to know about the subject as a landowner.

‘Abandonment’ is when a horse is left somewhere permanently or for a sufficient amount of time to allow it to end up suffering unnecessarily. ‘Fly-grazing’ is the unlawful grazing of horses on public or private land without the permission of the landowner or occupier. The horses may or may not have been abandoned by their owner; they could have been brought onto the land for free pasture or simply left there following the expiry of a rental agreement.

Fly-grazing is a serious problem for landowners, not only does it pose welfare problems for the horses and interfere with the enjoyment of the land, it can also have serious legal implications for the landowner.

If you find a horse on your land, it is important that you obtain legal advice as soon as possible. As a landowner there are a number of issues you will need to consider including your potential criminal liability arising from any welfare issues, your statutory duty of care towards any person entering your land and the strict liability imposed should a horse escape. An understanding of the law is needed to ensure the correct steps are taken to remove the horse, including The Animal Welfare Act 2006, The Occupiers Liability Acts of 1957 and 1984 and The Animals Act 1971.

Currently, there is no specific legislation in place designed to tackle the removal of abandoned or fly-grazing horses but legislative change may be on the horizon given that a private member’s bill (the Control of Horses Bill) recently passed its second reading and will soon be examined by a panel of MPs.

In the meantime, landowners have two options for removing the horses: obtaining a Court Order for their removal or exercising the right to detain straying animals. The right to detain involves attaching an Abandonment Notice to the land in question demanding that the horses are removed within 7 or 14 days failing which the landowner will do so himself. However, caution must be taken before a landowner exercises this right as it is only available when the animals are clearly not ‘under the control of any person’. The Property Litigation Team at Leathes Prior will be able to advise you on which option is more appropriate in your circumstances, what the process entails and assist you to effect the lawful removal of the horses.

As a landowner, there are some practical steps you may wish to take to minimise the risk of finding a fly-grazing horse (or other livestock) on your land:

1. Secure the land by means of adequate fencing and locked gates; 2. Put barricades in place to prevent unlawful access; 3. Dig out fenced-off ditches to prevent access; 4. Plough up empty pockets of land or use it in some other way rather than leaving large grassed areas; 5. If you are renting the land make sure you have a written agreement in place; and 6. Consider obtaining insurance that covers fly-grazing.

If you find a horse (or other livestock) grazing on your land without permission there are some important things you need to bear in mind:

1. Be careful and do not approach the animal unless necessary; 2. To avoid any criminal liability as a result of welfare issues, you should carry out an immediate visual inspection of the animal’s wellbeing; 3. If there appears to be any health issues you should contact Trading Standards, the RSPCA and/or World Horse Welfare and request their assistance to remove the horse – please note these organisations will only help where there are welfare issues; 4. Report the incident to the police (and ask them to provide you with an incident number) and your local authority to see whether they can provide any useful information or assistance; and 5. You should obtain legal advice immediately.

If you have any questions regarding fly-grazing or if you find a horse on your land, please do not hesitate to contact Darren Bowen or Sabina Haag in the Property Litigation Team on 01603 610911.

Employment law is one of those legal disciplines that just will not relent. Change is constantly on the horizon and as such, it can be hard for organisations to keep abreast of what’s new. The issue is that employment law policy changes make headlines as they directly affect the tens of millions of people currently in work in the UK. With an election around the corner next spring, policies relating to employment law are likely to come thick and fast.

In January’s HR Forum, Cozens-Hardy LLP will cover the areas of employment law that have been and are making headline news. Some of the topics we will be exploring are set out below. Don’t forget that this time we have kept a slot open for delegates to suggest their own burning topic they would like us to expand upon.

Zero-hour contracts

There is currently no statutory definition of a ‘zero-hour contract’ in employment law. It is generally understood to be an employment contract between an employer and a worker, which means the employer is not obliged to provide the worker with any minimum working hours, and the worker is not obliged to accept any of the hours offered. It is accepted that someone on a zero-hour contract will have ‘worker’ status, which does not bring as many rights under English & Welsh employment law as the gold-star ’employee’ status. However, the way in which the employment relationship develops may result in the worker gaining ’employee’ status, regardless of what is written on paper and may persuade an Employment Tribunal that the worker in fact has many more rights available to them. The zero-hour contract is typically seen in industries such as retail and catering, and is typically used to fill gaps in rapidly fluctuating workforces. Zero-hour contracts are a hot issue politically and we can expect the major parties to use this as a powerful tool in the run-up to spring’s election campaign.

Sharing parental leave and pay

From December 2014, new regulations will come into force whereby parents can choose a more flexible approach to parental leave following the birth of their child or the placement of an adoptive child. A mother will be able to opt to end statutory maternity leave earlier, in order for her partner or the child’s father to start Shared Parental Leave, this scheme bringing an end to Additional Paternity Leave. There are certain eligibility requirements for the Shared Parental Leave scheme, namely a continuity of employment test and an employment and earnings test. This scheme will also only be applicable to babies born or adoptive children placed on or after 05 April 2015, meaning that many HR departments will likely receive notifications of intention to partake in the scheme from employees in as early as December 2014. There will also be a new pay scheme for those on Shared Parental Leave.

Holiday pay to include overtime

The recent decision by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in the conjoined cases of Bear Scotland Ltd v Fulton & another; Hertel (UK) Ltd v Wood & others; and Amec Group Ltd v Law & others was widely publicised in the press in November 2014. The effect of the EAT’s decision in this case is that commission and overtime should now be taken into account when an employer calculates holiday pay for its workers. There are certain issues surrounding the decision, including whether or not it applies only to holiday pay provided for by the EU Working Time Regulations 1998 or whether it also applies to bank holidays provided for by UK legislation, meaning that the case is likely to be appealed for clarity’s sake. There is also uncertainty about the evidence that employees may have to provide to employers to show that overtime is essential to their job. Business Secretary Vince Cable is establishing a taskforce to assess the effect of this decision upon businesses and policy may be implemented as a result of this.

Social media and employment law

Increased social media presence inevitably comes with increased personal technology presence in the workplace such as smart phones, laptops and tablets. There are challenges in dealing with social media in the workplace and these will vary in different kinds of organisation. It can affect communications among managers, employees and job applicants, how organisations promote and control their reputation, and how colleagues treat one another. It can also distort what boundaries there are between home and work. There have been increasing reports of disciplinary action and sometimes even dismissals as a result of employee behaviours on social media even when away from the workplace. How is it best to approach these issues and how should misuse of social media or workplace internet be dealt with?

ACAS early conciliation

Since May 2014, it has been mandatory for individuals wishing to bring a claim to the Employment Tribunal to first inform ACAS and start the process called ‘early conciliation’. This process replaces the previous ‘Pre-Claim Conciliation’ procedure and is a free service that stops the clock on employment claims that are time-limited, such as claims for unfair dismissal, workplace discrimination and unpaid holiday pay. An ACAS conciliator is assigned to the case with the purpose of looking to settle the matter between the parties and away from the Tribunal in a timely and non-costly manner. If settlement cannot be achieved in the early conciliation period, an early conciliation certificate is issued and the case can move forward to Tribunal.

Extended right to request flexible working

From June 2014, every employee who fulfills a minimum period of service has the right to request flexible working. Employers must consider and decide upon requests within three months of receiving the request and must have a sound business reason for rejecting the request. For some organisations, the duties to meet with the employee, consider their request and the impact that changes may make to existing employees and their organisation may seem unduly onerous. However, it is vital to be aware that if an employer fails to deal with a flexible working request in a reasonable manner, the employee is legally entitled to make a claim to the Employment Tribunal.

We will also have an open-floor session where delegates will be invited to ask about topics of employment law that are pertinent to their own organisations.

To keep you and your organisation up-to-date with the latest employment law developments so as to stay informed and prepared, come along to the next HR Forum presented by Cozens-Hardy LLP on Wednesday 28th January 2015 at Dunston Hall.