In Abellio London Ltd v Musse and Others, it was accepted that there was a service provision change under TUPE when a London bus route was transferred from Centre West to Abellio.
The issue for the EAT was whether a consequential change in bus depot from Westbourne Park to Battersea amounted to a substantial and material change to the detriment of several employees who had resigned and claimed constructive dismissal in response to that change. In the context of living in London, the EAT found that a move of six miles from north to south of the river, which led to additional daily travel time of two hours or more, was a substantial change. It was also clear that the change was materially detrimental when looked at from the employees’ point of view. Accordingly the employees had been entitled to resign and treat themselves as dismissed.
And finally...
The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) is seeking views on whether dismissal processes are too onerous, particularly for small businesses, and whether there should be compensated no-fault dismissals for employers with fewer than ten staff. The deadline for responses is 6 June 2012.
The national minimum wage for workers aged 21 and over will increase from £6.08 to £6.19 from 1 October 2012. The rate for workers aged between 18 and 20 will remain the same at £4.98 per hour.
All migrants from outside the EEA who apply to stay in the UK for over six months are now required to register their fingerprints and photograph. Successful applicants are given a ‘Biometric Residence Permit’ to prove immigration status and entitlements in the UK. An automated online service to check Biometric Residence Permits will be available for employers from 31 May 2012.
Sunday trading laws are to be relaxed in England and Wales during the Olympic and Paralympic games for eight weeks from 22 July to 9 September, for shops with a floor space of more than 280 square metres. Workers will still have the right to refuse to work on Sundays.
