News 17 December 2020 - 5 January 2021

As we left 2020 fairly tightly locked down but started the New Year in a COVID straight jacket, it’s only right that we look at the current run of COVID-centric stories for the ‘coronaphile’ in all of us.  Current UK job statistics show that there are 819,000 fewer jobs since the pandemic broke. (1) Shoosmith’s tentatively cover the impact of returning to the workplace on the mental health of employees.  Time in the COVID matrix moves quicker than some articles, but it still raises a number of very interesting points.(2) There is an article which highlights a father’s intention to sue his fifteen year old son’s employer, for dismissing him from his paper round after he was forced to self-isolate.(3)

Moving on to other stories, Timewise report that, of the job adverts they studied between December 2019 and December 2020, only 22% highlighted flexible working.  (4) An excellent article looks at ‘bullying in the workplace’ and picks the truth from the bones following the release of a government report into allegations of bullying by Home Secretary Priti Patel. (5)  An article by workpermit.com demonstrates that the last 20 year job boom has been a consequence of immigration, which sort makes Brexit look really foolish now.(6)   An article by Denton’s looks at two government consultations which began on 4th December 2020 and their possible implications for future employment rights for employees.  (7) There’s an article on the BBC being pressured to provide detail on equal pay and race discrimination legal costs. (8)  The TUC have an article about the combined impact of Brexit and the COVID pandemic on the UK economy.(9) The Justice Gap looks at the impact of COVID on sex work.(10)   Fasken highlights future proposed changes to the National Minimum Wage. (11)  On a similar topic, the Scotsman looks into a number of companies including Tesco who have been found to be routinely paying staff less than the minimum wage.  (12)

The last clutch of articles include an EAT case which had to evaluate whether an employer sanctioning an employee was lawful given that their actions amounted to ‘trade union activities’. (13)   We also have a number of TUC articles which bring us into the New Year.  The first relates to the inalienable link between workers rights and the struggle for equality.  (14) Statistics showing the grotesque inequality between the vast corporate profits some companies have made compared to the wages they pay their staff.  (15) Finally, the TUC call for bosses to offer furlough to parents affected by the most recent national lockdown who are once again home schooling. (16)