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4th June 2025
 
THE HOT STORY
NDAs should be banned to curb music industry ‘culture of misogyny'
The misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in the music industry to silence victims of harassment and abuse is a significant issue, according to a report from the Women and Equalities Committee. The report highlights that women in the sector face rampant misogyny, discrimination, and harassment, with many self-employed practitioners particularly vulnerable. The report also advocates for the establishment of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority to improve standards and protect victims. Additionally, it calls for amendments to the Equality Act and Employment Rights Bill to enhance protections for women and gender non-conforming individuals in the industry.
LEGAL
Chef wins £13k after swear-laden outburst
A junior chef has been awarded £13,455 after a tribunal ruled a foul-mouthed outburst was linked to anxiety and depression. The incident occurred on August 9, 2023, at the Thorpe Hall Hotel and Spa in Peterborough, where Abbie Garner shouted in front of guests at a colleague during a personal dispute. The tribunal ruled that Garner was disabled under the Equality Act and said her inability to control her anger “arose in consequence of her disability.” It said: “The claimant is disabled by virtue of anxiety, depression, and polycystic ovary syndrome,” adding that Garner “was put at a substantial disadvantage compared to someone without her disability.” The judge concluded that the hotel failed to make reasonable adjustments before her dismissal, which could have led to a different outcome.
City bosses urged to act on toxicity
Writing in City AM, and as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) prepares to release guidance on non-financial misconduct, Lucy McNulty calls for City bosses to address toxic workplace behaviour. She says that toxic behaviour undermines morale and decision-making, posing a reputational risk, and companies should not wait for regulatory action. The FCA's chief executive, Nikhil Rathi, has acknowledged the challenge of defining such misconduct, saying: "What can be categorised as non-financial misconduct is quite broad." 
Whistleblower wins £300k over HS2 fraud claims
Stephen Cresswell, a risk management expert, has been awarded £319,070 in compensation after being dismissed from HS2 for raising concerns about fraudulent cost misrepresentation. Cresswell alleged that HS2 executives instructed him to "disregard" significant cost forecasts, with one estimate potentially exceeding £100m more than what was publicly acknowledged. Following the employment tribunal's ruling, Cresswell said: "In my opinion, HS2 is not an organisation that should be trusted with public money."
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
M&S chief sees pay jump
Stuart Machin, the CEO of Marks & Spencer, saw his pay package increase to over £7m for the financial year ending in March, marking a 39% rise from £5.1m the previous year. The increase was largely due to performance-linked bonuses, including £1.6m tied to the retailer's performance and £4.6m in long-term bonuses. M&S is currently grappling with the aftermath of a cyber attack that disrupted online operations and is expected to cost £300m in profits this year. M&S said on Monday that it had "agreed to delay" setting the performance targets for pay in the current financial year in light of the hack. Machin has been commended for his crisis management and maintaining communication with customers and investors. M&S chair Archie Norman expressed confidence that the incident would be a "bump in the road" towards growth, despite its immediate challenges.
HIRING
Supermarkets 'could pay to bring foreign farm workers to UK'
A government-commissioned report from Alma Economics suggests that British farms and supermarkets could alleviate the exploitation of seasonal workers by covering their travel and visa costs, estimated between £850 and £1,500 per worker. The report highlights that many migrant workers accrue significant debt before arriving in the UK, making them vulnerable to exploitation. Eleanor Lyons, the government's independent anti-slavery commissioner, observed: "This has an incredibly detrimental impact on the victims who can be forced to work excessive hours, trapped in debt bondage." While the government has no plans to implement the Employer Pays Principle, the report suggests that stakeholders, including retailers, support the idea of making employers cover these costs to improve worker welfare.
WORKFORCE
Retirement less expensive as energy prices fall
The amount of money needed to meet a basic standard of living in retirement has fallen, according to the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, as lower energy prices have an impact. The study suggests that the cost of a minimum retirement living standard for a one-person household has decreased by £1,000 a year to £13,400. A two-person household now needs an annual income of £21,600, down from £22,400 a year ago. For a 'moderate' lifestyle, a single person would need £31,700, up from £31,300, while two people would need £43,900, compared to £43,100. For a 'comfortable' retirement, a single person would need £43,900, up from £43,100 previously, and a two-person household would need £60,600, compared to £59,000 last year.
INTERNATIONAL
Korean delivery services make rare pause for voting
South Korean e-commerce and courier companies agreed to suspend delivery services on June 3 to allow delivery workers time to vote in the snap presidential election. The election day is a national holiday in South Korea, encouraging high voter turnout, which reached nearly 80% in the last presidential election.  Coupang, South Korea's biggest e-commerce platform, agreed to halt express deliveries for the first time since it launched in 2014, joining other local delivery services including CJ Logistics and Hanjin Logistics. "I welcome the decision. But on the other hand, it is a little regrettable that night drivers cannot rest," said Coupang courier Cho Shin-hwan, who has had to work on the day of previous elections. "Those affected worked hard to achieve this," observed Kim Eun-jung, Deputy Secretary General at the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, a non-governmental body, highlighting how delivery workers were excluded from current labour protection laws.
EU fines Delivery Hero and Glovo €329m for takeaway ‘cartel’
Berlin-based online food ordering and food delivery company Delivery Hero and its Spanish unit Glovo have been fined €329m by the European Union for forming a cartel that included a no-poach agreement which limited competition for employees between July 2018 and July 2022. The European Commission's probe began after 2023 raids. The companies admitted wrongdoing, receiving reduced fines. This marks the EU’s first no-poach case. The firms also shared pricing and market strategies, dividing European markets. Delivery Hero’s fine was €223m, Glovo’s was €105.7m.
Ecuador's government acts on worker rights
Ecuador's government has issued an apology to approximately 300 workers who laboured under conditions described as modern-day slavery on plantations owned by the Japanese textile firm Furukawa. The Constitutional Court had previously ordered Furukawa to pay $120,000 to each of the 342 victims, totalling around $41m, and to issue a public apology, which the company has yet to fulfil. Labour Minister Ivonne Nunez said that the company violated "national and international regulations that affected, in essence, human dignity." During a ceremony in Quito, former workers expressed their demands for reparations, chanting slogans including "modern slavery, never again."
OTHER
More teenage girls report controlling behaviour from partners
An event organised by the Beira's Place support service set up by author JK Rowling has heard from charities who gave evidence that growing numbers of teenage girls are facing increasing levels of control from boyfriends, with girls aged 13-17 describing being tracked using mobile phones or being required to send photographic evidence of who they sit with in class. Anne Robertson Brown, executive director of Women's Aid in Angus, said more than 40 girls aged 18 and under had reported serious abuse from partners in the first five months of the year, and that from meetings with other organisations it was clear that such as abuse is being replicated "in every local authority in Scotland," while boys as young as nine and 10 have been exhibiting increasingly misogynistic behaviour in primary schools.
 


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