NI Employment Law In Brief: June 2023

So how to sum up the month of June? Anniversary webinars, the continued rise of AI, the MOVEit hack and Northern Ireland slips further behind GB in employment law………………..oh, and there was a heatwave, which seemed to bring on the sunset of the Brexit Freedoms sunset clause! Grab a cuppa for a whistle-stop tour of the issues we were reading in June! 

Rise of AI 

It’s getting tricky to keep on top of all the AI and HR stories in the news at the minute! Here’s a few of June’s highlights………. 

Recently, and it seems, almost without any accompanying publicity, ChatGPT dropped in a brand new function allowing the user to switch off the training function. In so doing, the user can ensure that any inputs are not used for training purposes.  Our new AI presenter, Jolene Rigby, explains why this is such an important data security development and how to find this new function in ChatGPT.  

Personnel Today reported that as more organisations start to embrace AI in their operations, Dr Tanya Boyd,Insights explained how the HR function is no exception and how psychometric tools can help you decide how AI aligns with a team’s preferences.  

AI will have a positive impact on recruitment and skills over the next two years, accordingto a survey of UK employers – suggesting fears around the onslaught of tools such as ChatGPT could be unfounded.  

Meanwhile Furniture giant Ikea is training up thousands of call centre workers to become interior design advisers as artificial intelligence takes over their queries.  

However………….. 

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) called for businesses to address the privacy risks generative AI can bring before rushing to adopt the technology – with tougher checks on whether organisations are compliant with data protection laws. New research indicates that generative AI could become a £1 trillion market within a decade, with potential to bring huge benefits to business and society. Stephen Almond, Exec Director of Regulatory Risk, called for businesses to see those opportunities and to see the risks that come with them.  

And we’re being told that AI won’t replace our jobs (yet!),but the BBC investigated some workers who say they have already been replaced by AI.  Meanwhile a London law firm launched a legal advice service powered by AI………….. 

MOVEit Hack 

Sticking with technology, the BBC, British Airways, Boots and Aer Lingus were among a huge number of high-profile organisations affected by a mass hack.  Media watchdog Ofcom also confirmed that it is a victim of the cyber-attack by hackers linked to a notorious Russian ransomware group. 

NI slips further behind GB 

A number of interesting pieces of legislation were enacted in GB in June raising concerns about how the continuing absence of a government in Stormont is starting to impact the protection of workers here in NI. 

The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 was given Royal Assent in June and is now law in GB and will be implemented in April 2025. For the first time, families in GB will have a statutory entitlement to paid leave from work if their baby needs neonatal care, giving employed parents a day one right to leave from work if their baby receives neonatal care for more than seven continuous days, before the baby reaches 28 days of life. It does not apply in NI as employment law is a devolved matter. 

The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 has passed parliamentary scrutiny. It makes it unlawful for employers to withhold tips from staff and is expected to come into force in 2024. This does not apply in NI.  

The Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act 2023 will come into force on 24July 2023. The new law will give those who are pregnant or a recent returner from parental leave priority status for redeployment opportunities in a redundancy situation. Again, it does not extend to NI.