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19th April 2024
 
THE HOT STORY
TUC calls for AI to be regulated in the workplace
The TUC has warned that Britain is failing to keep up with the regulation of AI in the workplace, leaving workers vulnerable to exploitation and discrimination. It has proposed a legal blueprint for regulating AI, including a legal duty for employers to consult trade unions on the use of high-risk and intrusive forms of the technology. Other countries such as the US, China, and Canada are already implementing new laws for the use of AI. TUC assistant general secretary Kate Bell said: “UK employment law is simply failing to keep pace with the rapid speed of technological change. We are losing the race to regulate AI in the workplace. AI is already making life-changing calls in the workplace, including how people are hired, performance managed and fired. We urgently need to put new guardrails in place to protect workers from exploitation and discrimination. This should be a national priority. Other countries are regulating workplace AI – so that staff and employers know where they stand. The UK can't afford to drag its feet and become an international outlier.”
HEALTH & WELLBEING
GPs to lose the power to hand out sick notes
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to end Britain’s “sick-note culture” amid concerns that over-medicalising common anxieties is driving a rise in the number of people off work with mental health problems. GPs face being stripped of the right to issue sick notes, as the Prime Minister says doctors are too readily writing people off as unfit for work. Specialist teams linked to the benefits system will instead assess the sick and decide how best to keep them in work.
Private health insurance market grows by £385m in a year
Britain’s health cover market has grown by £385m in a year as the NHS crisis prompts more people to seek out private medical treatment. The total health cover market, including medical and dental insurance and cash plans, grew 6.1% to £6.7bn in 2022, the latest year for which figures are available, according to the health data provider LaingBuisson. About 4.2m people were subscribed to medical cover schemes. Including dependants on the policies, 7.3m people were covered – the highest number since 2008.
WORKFORCE
Supermarket workers to strike over 'falling standards'
Workers at an Asda supermarket in Lowestoft, Suffolk, are set to strike for 48 hours next month due to reported "falling standards." The strike, scheduled for 10-11 May, comes as a result of issues including cuts to hours, poor quality training, alleged bullying, and fire safety breaches. Keith Dixon, GMB regional organiser, stated that Asda workers have had enough and that the supermarket is being driven into the ground. Asda claims to have worked with union representatives to address the concerns and says it is disappointed in the strike vote result. This will be the third Asda store to face a strike, following walkouts in Hampshire and Cambridgeshire. Asda workers in Brighton Hollingbury have also voted to strike.
Retailers demand answers over forced labour allegations
Several major UK retailers, including Marks and Spencer, Next, John Lewis, Harrods, and JD Sports, have requested information from Under Armour and Columbia regarding allegations of forced labour in their supply chains. The retailers reached out to the US companies after learning about the suicide of a mistreated worker at a factory in Jordan. The worker, Tureza Akter, had been abused at the Fine Apparel plant, where dehumanising conditions and sexual harassment are said to be common. The retailers are awaiting the results of an independent investigation into Fine Apparel. Under Armour, Columbia, and American Eagle, which also works with Fine Apparel, have stated that they take the allegations seriously.
Record number of calls made to modern slavery helpline
The number of calls to the Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline increased by more than 19% last year, up from 9,779 in 2022 to 11,700. This is according to anti-slavery charity Unseen, which says the number of potential victims in the care sector has risen by almost a third to 918. Justine Carter, director of Unseen, said: "Modern slavery and exploitation are heinous crimes that have no place in a modern, progressive UK that cares about human rights.”
HIRING
EU offers to strike youth mobility deal with UK
The European Commission is set to seek member state approval to open talks with the UK to restore the ability of young people in the EU and UK to live and work in each other’s countries. The proposal is reportedly designed to appeal to a future Labour government, but the party’s response to a scheme it sees as synonymous with free movement was cool, with a spokesperson saying: “A Labour Government would seek to improve the UK’s working relationship with the EU within our red lines - no return to the single market, customs union or free movement.”
LEGAL
British trade unions lose appeal over discriminatory pension reforms
Two British trade unions, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the British Medical Association (BMA), have lost their appeal over changes to public sector pensions. The unions argued that the government was unlawfully passing the £19bn cost of discriminatory pension reforms onto workers. The unions' legal action followed a 2018 court ruling that deemed the exclusion of younger staff from more beneficial pension schemes as unlawful age discrimination. The Court of Appeal dismissed the unions' appeal, stating that the indirect discrimination against younger members of the new schemes was justified. The ruling means that the government will not have to foot the bill for future pension payments to around three million public sector workers.
Worker successfully sues male boss for menopause discrimination
An admin worker has successfully sued her male boss for menopause discrimination. Marie Johnson requested to work a four-day week due to the impact of menopause on her daily activities. However, her boss turned down the request without understanding how menopause affected her. As a result, Johnson resigned after 27 years at the company and sued her bosses for disability discrimination and unfair dismissal. The employment tribunal ruled in her favour, criticising her boss's lack of interest in menopause. The tribunal acknowledged Johnson's struggles with mental health symptoms arising from menopause and the challenges of caring for her elderly parents. The judge stated that her boss could have easily understood the effects of menopause on her daily life and work.
Post Office CEO Nick Read cleared of misconduct claims
Post Office CEO Nick Read has been cleared of all misconduct claims following an external report. Former chair Henry Staunton had accused Read of poor management and conduct. The report, compiled by barrister Marianne Tutin, exonerated Read and received the full backing of the board. The Post Office dismissed Staunton's claims as containing inaccuracies and falsehoods. Read had previously refuted bullying allegations. The Post Office emphasized the importance of the Speak Up process and confidentiality for whistleblowers. The organisation has been embroiled in a scandal over mishandling prosecutions of former subpostmasters.
SFO outlines new strategy
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has announced its new strategy to combat serious fraud, bribery, and corruption. The strategy focuses on prevention, the use of AI, greater covert intelligence, and whistleblowers. The SFO says it aims to be a proactive and authoritative player in the global and domestic justice system. Plans include a pilot program to cut financial crimes at the source, increasing incentives for corporate whistleblowers, and implementing a pre-trial disclosure system. However, some senior lawyers have questioned the strategy. Louise Hodges at Kingsley Napley said: "A big question mark for me is which type of organisation the SFO sees as its target. So far the investigations opened have involved relatively small and lesser-known businesses, some already in administration and a far cry from the global giants and High Street names that the SFO historically had in its sights."
BHP told to hand over employment details in Brazil dam disaster litigation
BHP has been ordered to hand over historic employment details for staff following a disclosure application on behalf of claimants affected by the collapse of a dam in 2015.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
Badenoch tells regulators to scrap company equality quotas
The Business Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, who is also the Women and Equalities minister, has called on financial services regulators to scrap plans to set diversity targets for finance companies. Badenoch argues they would amount to regulatory over-reach and place an unnecessary additional burden on businesses. The Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority have consulted on a requirement for companies to disclose demographic data, including on age, sexual orientation, religion and ethnicity, and set diversity targets to address underrepresentation. They would be required to publish their progress. “The benefits claimed are speculative, but the compliance costs will be real,” Badenoch said in a speech at TheCityUK. “There are significant concerns about likely indirect effects, such as increased barriers to entry and expansion, and the resulting impacts on innovation, competition and choice. At a time when government is focused on driving economic growth through smarter regulation, the FCA should not be adding regulatory burdens which go well beyond the legislative framework in the Equality Act.”
REMOTE WORKING
Nike CEO blames remote working for sales slump
The CEO of Nike, John Donahoe, has criticised remote working for the company's first sales slump in over two years. Donahoe stated that it is difficult to achieve bold and disruptive innovation, such as developing new shoes, through Zoom meetings. Donahoe emphasised the importance of rebuilding the innovation pipeline and plans to showcase Nike's new approach during the Olympics in Paris.
INTERNATIONAL
Google suspends employees involved in protests against Project Nimbus
Google has suspended more than two dozen employees who participated in protests against the company’s work with the Israeli government on Tuesday, objecting to a $1.2bn contract it signed with the U.S. ally three years ago.  Dozens of employees began occupying company offices in New York City and Sunnyvale, California. The contract, known as Project Nimbus, that Google shares with Amazon provides cloud computing services to the Israeli government. It has faced backlash from employees and activists since it was signed in 2021, but the objections have grown amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. The suspended workers received a message from the company's Employee Relations group informing them that they had been put on administrative leave. “Administrative leave means that we will be shutting off your access to Google's campuses and systems and you are required to refrain from work until further notice and not come into the office,” according to the email, which was seen by Bloomberg. “We are keeping this matter as confidential as possible, only disclosing information on a need to know basis.”
OTHER
Colorado governor signs landmark brainwave data protection law
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed into law the first measure in the US aimed at protecting the data found in a person's brainwaves. The law is a response to the increasing advancements in neurotechnology, which make scanning, analysing, and selling mental data more possible and profitable. The legislation provides a framework to protect Coloradans' personal data while allowing the development of new technologies. The Neurorights Foundation, a non-profit promoting ethical neurotechnology development, supports the bill. The law focuses on consumer products outside of a hospital setting, as medical privacy laws already cover neuratechnologies used in clinical settings. Big tech firms like Facebook, Meta Platforms, and Neuralink are developing brain activity detection technology for commercial use. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved human studies for Neuralink's brain implants. Other governments worldwide are also working on increasing consumer protections for neurotechnological products.
 


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