Weekly Issue 268

Shopworkers condemn suspension of Sunday trading laws

MPs last week voted through emergency legislation to suspend Sunday trading laws in England and Wales for eight weeks from 22 July.
Under the Sunday Trading (London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) Act, shops with a floor area of more than 280 square metres will not be subject to current Sunday trading restrictions during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Cost considerations

Although the general rule is that consideration of costs alone cannot justify discrimination, the Court of Appeal has confirmed in Woodcock v Cumbria Primary Care Trust that costs plus another factor, such as avoiding a windfall, can justify it.

Pool of one

When making an employee redundant, employers have to decide who should be part of the pool for selection. In Halpin v Sandpiper Books Ltd, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) said that the pool can consist of one employee as selection is only relevant when there is a number of similarly qualified possible people who could be made redundant.