Family-friendly rights and support
Bess Sturman and Richard Port of Addleshaw Goddard outline the latest legal rulings and explain what you need to know to avoid tribunals.
In Rodway v South Central Trains Ltd, the Court of Appeal holds that the EAT was correct to hold that parental leave may only be taken in blocks of one week's leave, except where there are contractual provisions or a workforce or collective agreement to the contrary, or where the child in respect of whom leave is taken is entitled to disability living allowance.
In Alabaster v Barclays Bank plc, the Court of Appeal holds that the answer to the problem of how to enable an employee effectively to enforce her right to claim arrears of maternity pay (owed to her as a result of a failure to take into account a pay rise awarded before her maternity leave started, but after the reference period for calculating her maternity pay had ended) lay in removing the requirement in s.1(1) of the Equal Pay Act 1970 for her to point to a male comparator.
This week's case round-up from Eversheds, covering parental leave.
Karen Smith and Sophy Robinson of Addleshaw Goddard bring you a comprehensive update on the latest decisions that could affect your organisation, and provide advice on what to do about them.
In South Central Trains Ltd v Rodway the EAT holds that a disagreement over entitlement to parental leave does not amount to a "reason related to parental leave" for the purpose of a complaint of being subjected to a detriment under s.47C of Employment Rights Act 1996 (leave for family and domestic reasons).
In Merino Gomez v Continental Industrias del Caucho SA, the European Court of Justice holds that pregnant workers have a dual entitlement to annual leave and maternity leave: pregnant workers must be able to take their annual leave during a period other than their period of maternity leave.
In Alabaster v Woolwich plc, the European Court of Justice holds that article 119 (now 141) of the EC Treaty of Rome requires that earnings-related maternity pay must reflect any pay rise awarded between the start of the reference period (upon which the level of the earnings-related maternity pay is based) and the end of the employee's maternity leave.
The principle of equal pay under Community law does not require that women should continue to receive full pay during maternity leave, holds the European Court of Justice in Gillespie and others v Northern Health and Social Services Board and others.
Pregnant cabin crew who volunteered for ground duties to which they were deployed were not offered "suitable alternative work" within the meaning of s.67(2) of the Employment Rights Act 1996, because the terms and conditions applicable to that alternative work were substantially less favourable than the corresponding terms and conditions for their normal work, holds the EAT in British Airways (European Operations at Gatwick) Ltd v Moore and another.
Employment law cases: HR and legal information and guidance relating to family-friendly rights and support.