Watch the recording of our most recent Webinar 'Websites & The Law' hosted by Partner, Vaughan Jones.

In the first Employment Law E-Bulletin of 2012, Solicitor Joanne Stronach gives common-sense advice on handling racism at work and in our monthly case law review Hazel Phillips asks, "When is an Employment Tribunal deadline, not a deadline?" 

This is just a quick reminder that the limits on the statutory caps for a number of Tribunal awards will increase for dismissals which occur on or after 1 February 2012. 

With Suarez punished, Terry soon to be judged, and Diane Abbott in trouble for tweeting, racism is once again a big headline story. But how should employers deal with racism or any other form of discrimination which occurs in the workplace?

Consider the following scenario: a student is repeatedly absent from lectures; when challenged, she explains that she has been unable to attend, owing to the need to care for her disabled child. She asks if she can have the lectures recorded for her, knowing that that facility would be permitted to someone who found it difficult to attend because they were themselves disabled. What do you, as the person responsible for making the decision, do?

Under the Agency Workers Regulations which came into force on 1 October 2011, organisations must assign temporary agency staff the same levels of pay and basic terms and working conditions as their permanent staff once they have completed a qualifying period of 12 weeks. 

Towards the end of last year the Court of Appeal ruled that a Local Authority’s duty to maintain a student’s Statement of Special Educational Needs does not extend past the age of 19. 

In the case of Essex County Council v Williams, the Court of Appeal held that Essex County Council was not required to maintain a Statement of Special Educational Needs for a student with Down’s syndrome who was over the age of 19. 

Statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that the number of people in Britain injured and made unwell at work has continued to fall.