Taxi app firm Uber must classify its drivers as workers, entitling tens of thousands of drivers to minimum wage and holiday pay, the UK Supreme Court held on Friday. Under s. 230(3) of the Employment Rights Act 1996, a “worker” is anyone employed (a) under a contract of employment or (b) any other contract, whether [...]
The UK government presented a bill Thursday that, if passed, will give the Prime Minister the power to give ministers six months’ maternity leave. The Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Bill, introduced to the House of Commons, would enable cabinet ministers to receive full pay during their leave and includes the same provisions for certain [...]
Measures that will “strengthen the protections and controls for those who gamble through online slots games” were announced by the Great British Gambling Commission on Tuesday. The changes are intended to make online games “safer by design,” with the Commission focusing on online slot games since these have the highest average losses per player of [...]
A near-total ban on abortion in Poland took effect Wednesday, following a controversial decision by the Constitutional Court. The Constitionla Court ruled in October that a 1993 law allowing abortion in cases of severe and irreversible fetal abnormalities was unconstitutional. Prior to the ruling, access to abortion was already limited, with just 1,100 procedures performed [...]
The Hungarian government has ordered a publisher to print disclaimers identifying books containing “behaviour inconsistent with traditional gender roles.” The order is in response to the publication of Meseorszag mindenkie (A Fairy Tale for Everyone) a fairytale anthology published by Labrisz, an association for lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. The group says the storybook includes [...]
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspectors of policing, prisons, probations and prosecutions expressed “grave concerns” about the long-term impact of COVID-19 related court backlogs in a report published Tuesday. The joint report highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the criminal justice system in England and Wales and the long-term risks of the pandemic, with significant failings [...]
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced new measures Tuesday designed to ensure that no British organisations profit from or contribute to human rights violations against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, China, which he described as “barbarism.” Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Raab told the House that the “scale and severity of the human [...]
More than 9,000 children died in Ireland’s mother and baby homes, according to the final report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation published Tuesday by the Republic of Ireland’s Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth. The Commission, which was created in February 2015, was established by the Irish Government to [...]
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has approved legislation designed to “prevent and combat” hate crimes against the Roma community. The legislation targets “verbal or physical manifestations” of hatred against the Roma community. It provides a range of offences, including Article 6, which states that those found guilty of “initiating or constituting” an anti-Roma organization will face [...]
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that a referendum would be held on constitutional reforms. State-owned news agency BelTA reported that Lukashenko said that whether or not the Belarusian People’s Congress will become a constitutional body has not been settled. However, Lukashenko is reported to have stated that the matter will be part of a draft [...]
