A former Google employee who was sacked after circulating a memo claiming women were biologically incapable of carrying out engineering roles is suing the company for allegedly discriminating against white, conservative men. Engineer James Damore’s memo, which was published by website Gizmodo and, as a result, went viral, stated that women are incapable of leading and are “directed towards feelings and aesthetics rather than ideas”. His comments caused outrage. In response to the backlash, Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, stated that Damore h... Continue reading

A group of more than 20 organisations and human rights legal experts has signed an open letter on the importance of the Charter of Fundamental Rights ahead of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which returned to Parliament last week. The following letter was published in the Observer. “The EU (Withdrawal) Bill will not protect people’s rights in the UK as the government promised. This is in large part because the Bill removes the Charter of Fundamental Rights from our law. “The Charter protects rights important to all of us: including rights... Continue reading

The rights of UK workers to limited working hours, rest breaks and paid holiday could be adversely affected by the reported lobbying by government ministers, including Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, to scrap the Working Time Directive during a cabinet meeting on the UK’s future trade relationship with the EU.  The Directive is implemented into UK law by the Working Time Regulations 1998, which came into force on 1 October 1998. Under these Regulations, working time is defined as any period during which a worker is “working, at his employ... Continue reading

Fleet managers and business owners are being called upon to ensure they have a robust road safety policy for winter driving. The call comes after the recent poor weather conditions in the UK, which left many employees stranded at home, unable to travel, or broken down in an attempt to get to work in the hazardous conditions. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises business owners and employers that health and safety law applies to on-the-road work activities and the risks should be effectively managed within a health and safety system. ... Continue reading

The North-West Traffic Commissioner has made an order to revoke the transport licence held by Walmersley-based business SR & RJ Brown, with effect from 31 January 2018. His decision comes after the company was convicted of corporate manslaughter in 2017, following the death of worker Benjamin Edge, who fell from a structure he was helping to dismantle and died from head injuries. SR and RJ Brown, of which brothers Christopher and Robert Brown are directors, was fined £300,000 at Manchester Crown Court in March 2017 after admitting corporate ... Continue reading