Pensions

The Court of Appeal has confirmed that vicarious liability owed to third parties does not transfer under TUPE. We explore the impact for both transferors and transferees.

Workplace falls remain a significant cause of injury across all sectors, with HSE data revealing that slips, trips and falls on the same level account for 30% of employer-reported non-fatal injuries, while falls from height continue to be the leading cause of fatal workplace accidents. Understanding the common hazards—from wet floors and obstructed walkways to unsafe ladders and unprotected edges—is essential for employers seeking to meet their legal duties and reduce the risk of serious harm.

The unfair dismissal regime is undergoing significant changes from 1 January 2027, removing the compensation cap and reducing the qualifying service period from two years to six months. Employers planning dismissals or redundancies before this deadline must carefully navigate the interaction between the 1 January cutoff and statutory notice periods, which can extend an employee's effective termination date by up to 12 weeks regardless of payment in lieu arrangements.

The government has recently launched a consultation on pay transparency proposals. Principally the government is seeking to ‘fix’ the equal pay system. Amongst the proposals, the government is consulting on whether employers should be required to include salary information in job adverts and to provide written salary information before an interview if the role is not publicly advertised. Ministers have argued that greater pay transparency will help candidates navigate the job market and that this could prevent future discrimination claims.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces one of the most consequential changes to the law of unfair dismissal since the right was first created. Whilst much attention has focused on the reduction of the qualifying period for bringing a claim, employers should be equally alert to another reform that could prove far more expensive: the removal of the statutory cap on unfair dismissal compensation.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 represents the most significant overhaul of UK employment law in a generation. Whilst much of the focus has been on day-one unfair dismissal rights, guaranteed hours, and changes to family-friendly rights, employers should not overlook the substantial implications for the use of fixed-term contracts.

The autumn 2026 edition of the Reward update examines significant proposals to reform directors' remuneration reporting requirements, including changes to the DRR and removal of the annual shareholder advisory vote. It also covers FCA consultation on solo-regulated firms' remuneration, the impact of Employment Rights Act changes on share plans, equal pay reform proposals, and updates to AIM rules affecting corporate governance and remuneration disclosure.

Quality Compliance Systems (QCS) has formed a strategic partnership with Weightmans law firm to provide enhanced legal and compliance support to UK care providers facing workforce challenges, new employment legislation, and evolving regulatory requirements. The collaboration combines QCS's compliance expertise with Weightmans' specialist health and care sector legal knowledge to help care organizations navigate complex operational and regulatory environments. Together, they aim to deliver practical guidance

With the school holidays just around the corner every parent across the UK will this week no doubt mutter the words, “just watch, it will be raining constantly as soon as they stop school”, or words to that effect. That’s because as sure as night follows day, we can always rely on the sun to come out when “school’s in” and this year seems no different with temperatures on Monday and Tuesday in the high 20s and predicted to rise for the rest of the week- even in Manchester.

The Employment Tribunal has awarded an employee nearly half a million pounds after he accumulated 827 unpaid holiday days over his 37-year employment.

Record settler violence in the West Bank has drawn unprecedented international sanctions from the UK, France, and nine EU states, while Israel's far-right coalition pushes settlement expansion ahead of October elections. With the Palestinian Authority weakened and the US notably restrained in its response, the escalating crisis threatens regional partnerships and marks a stark departure from the Oslo Accords signed thirty-three years ago this September.

President Trump's Executive Order 14421 declares a national emergency to secure the U.S. bulk-power system, imposing new restrictions on foreign-produced electric equipment that poses national security risks. The order prohibits certain imports and installations while directing the Department of Energy to identify and potentially replace existing vulnerable equipment already on the grid.

Health Canada has launched a public consultation on a proposed regulatory overhaul that would fundamentally transform how food packaging materials are evaluated and approved for use in Canada. The agency is considering implementing a mandatory notification system and potentially creating a binding positive list of approved substances, marking a significant departure from the current voluntary Letter of No Objection framework.

The Department of Energy has issued a request for information on implementing President Trump's Bulk-Power System Executive Order, which would prohibit imports and installation of certain foreign-produced electric equipment deemed a national security risk. The RFI seeks public input on critical implementation questions including equipment scope, foreign entity definitions, supply chain risk assessment, and how to address already-installed equipment. Comments are due October 9, 2026, providing stakeholders a

Canada maintains a sophisticated yet largely voluntary system for regulating food-contact materials, placing primary responsibility on industry to ensure packaging safety. While Health Canada offers Letters of No Objection (LONOs) as written assurances, this regulatory framework may soon shift toward a mandatory positive list approach, fundamentally changing how food packaging materials are assessed and approved in the Canadian market.

India hosts the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi this weekend, where member nations navigate competing priorities: Russia seeks to demonstrate global relevance despite Western isolation, China and India work to strengthen their diplomatic thaw, and New Delhi pushes for digital currency integration while avoiding a common BRICS currency. Can the bloc maintain unity amid Brazilian elections, the Iran war, economic pressures, and members' diverging relationships with the US and other Western powers?

Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) party achieved a historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt regional elections, winning nearly 44% of the vote and dealing a severe blow to the ruling Christian Democratic Union. The election results are creating political instability that could weaken Berlin's leadership role in the European Union and reshape the bloc's approach to critical trade, industrial policy, and China relations during a pivotal period for European policymaking.

Global sanctions enforcement intensifies as the US expands its economic pressure campaigns against Cuba, Iran, and Venezuela while the UK and EU strengthen their Russia sanctions frameworks. Meanwhile, China pushes back against US sanctions targeting its companies over alleged Iran ties, and a Dutch chipmaker faces asset freezes amid a complex ownership dispute involving Chinese courts.

The FCC has opened a public comment period on ensuring reliable spectrum access for commercial space launch and reentry operations, following a presidential directive that aims to support over 1,000 annual launches by 2030. With comments due in just 20 days, companies involved in launch operations, UAS/USV services, and incumbent spectrum users face a compressed timeline to shape the regulatory framework for this rapidly expanding industry.

Russia's Africa Corps successfully defended Niger's military junta from a coup attempt in August 2024, demonstrating Moscow's deepening security role in the Sahel region. This analysis examines how Russia's entrenchment as a regime protector complicates US counterterrorism objectives and critical mineral access strategies, while exposing the Alliance of Sahel States' inability to provide mutual defense without external support.