In this issue, we examine some of the difficult issues that arise in the area of holiday entitlement. Topics tackled in our spotlight article include: rolled-up holiday pay; long-term sick leave and holiday; sickness while on holiday; and holiday and religious discrimination.

In case law, the issue for the Court of Appeal in Brunel University was whether or not the parties had waived the “without prejudice” rule in relation to negotiations that had taken place regarding the employees’ earlier discrimination claims. If they had, details of discussions that had taken place in the course of the negotiations could be used in evidence in a subsequent victimisation claim. Meanwhile, in Sovereign Business Integration plc, the EAT considered whether or not an employer had complied with its obligation to follow the statutory dismissal procedure when an employee failed to attend an appeal meeting for which the written invitation had been sent by post in the run-up to Christmas, when there was a risk that he would not receive it in time.

Joanna Stubbs,
Editor,
Employment Law Bulletin

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IRS conference: Equality and Diversity

This one-day conference, to be held on 17 October 2007, will look at how organisations can manage diversity to enhance corporate reputation, support culture change and boost competitiveness. It will feature three case studies from Harlow District Council, KPMG and The Co-operative Group. Find out more...