Christine, Julie, and Laura - known as the Knowledge Team - bring extensive expertise in employment law, HR, and learning & development. With diverse backgrounds spanning top-tier law firms, in-house roles, and voluntary organisations across the UK and Ireland, they provide informed and strategic support on employment matters.
Our team includes qualified (now non-practising) employment solicitors with experience in both legal and corporate sectors, alongside an experienced HR professional and CIPD Associate Member, ensuring a well-rounded approach to workplace challenges.
Royal arrests, pay rises for MLAs and Canadian curlers throwing stones and shade! We can confirm this week has kept us entertained and slightly bewildered. Welcome to the Friday Round‑up! 🤔
5 Must-Knows This Week:
- Gender pay gap means women effectively work for free for 47 days each year 💷
- Northern Ireland employment limits set to increase from 6 April 2026 📅
- Study shows open-plan offices make your brain work harder than private spaces 🧠
- KPMG partner fined over AI-related exam breach ⚖️
- HR Skill Builder focuses on neurodiversity at work 🧩
In other news................New legislation alert: Join Seamus and Christine for Employment Law at 11 on paid miscarriage leave in Northern Ireland (from April 2026) and best practice for supporting bereavement at work. Bonus: free access to Legal Island’s Bereavement in the Workplace eLearning for attendees. Sign up HERE.
CONTENTS ⚓︎
- Case Law Reviews
- AI and Employment Law
- Skill Builder for HR
- Northern Ireland Increase in Limits for April 2026
- Trans people facing ‘workers’ rights crisis’ as court rules employers can ban trans women from using female toilets
- Gender Pay Gap
- Employment Trends
- Number of employment tribunal claims surges to over half a million
- Data Protection & Cyber Security
- Just in Case You Missed It...
- HR Developments
- Health & Safety Developments
- Employment News in the Media
- GB Developments
- Free Webinars This Month
1. Case Law Reviews ⚓︎
R (On the Application of the Good Law Project & Others) v Commission for Equality and Human Rights [2026] EWHC 279 (Admin)
Summary Description:
Challenge to the interim guidance issued by the Commission for Equality and Human Rights was rejected.
Claimant:
Good Law Project and Others
Respondent:
Commission for Equality and Human Rights
Practical Guidance for Employers:
This case does not provide any change to the position that was put in place following the For Women Scotland and this challenge related more to the extent to which the Commission for Equality and Human Rights can issue interim guidance and the extent of that guidance. The Good Law Project has indicated that they will appeal the judgment so it is likely that this case will come round again soon.
Read the Review in full: R (On the Application of the Good Law Project & Others) v Commission for Equality and Human Rights [2026]
Lavery v Ulster University [2026] NIIT 54801/24
Summary Description:
Applications for a PhD studentship was an application for a course of study and not to become a worker or an employee of the University.
Claimant:
Donal Lavery
Respondent:
Ulster University
Practical Guidance for Employers:
Another case to be added to the list relating to employment status. In this situation, it was the categorisation of PhD students. This may be muddied by the fact that they can also be referred to as PhD researchers rather than students. However, in terms of the application process and their categorisation within the respondent it was clear that it was a mode of study rather than an application for work or employment.
Read the Review in full: Lavery v Ulster University [2026]
Back to Top
These case reviews were written by Jason Elliott BL. NI Tribunal decisions are available on the OITFET website.
If you have any queries or wish to comment on the reports please feel free to contact Jason at: jasondelliott@outlook.com
Jason Elliott was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2013 and is the Associate Head of School of Law at Ulster University. As a practising barrister, he has developed a largely civil practice representing individuals, companies and public bodies in litigation. This covers a wide range of areas including personal injuries, wills and employment law. In terms of employment law, he has represented both applicants and respondents in the Industrial Tribunal. At Ulster University, Jason lectures extensively on the civil areas of practise such as Equity and Trusts and delivers employment law lectures for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Remember: Our case law reviews are held in our case law section on our fully-searchable employment law hub website.
2. AI and Employment Law ⚓︎
KPMG partner fined over AI exam breach
A partner at KPMG Australia will forfeit more than $10,000 in future income after using artificial intelligence to answer a question in an internal training exam about artificial intelligence (AI), in a case that has drawn scrutiny from regulators and politicians. The incident forms part of 28 cases of AI-related misconduct identified by the firm this financial year after it introduced new monitoring tools in 2024. More than two dozen personnel have breached policy by using AI during internal tests since July, according to reporting by Australian Financial Review. HRD has more.
And our Chairman, Barry Phillips, adds his commentary here.
AI for HR Weekly Podcast with Barry Phillips 🎙️
This week's episode: From Punch Cards to Plain Speech: The Workplace Revolution Nobody's Talking About…
You can tune into the latest episode right here - or, if you’re on the move, why not take us with you?
Listen on 🎧 Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Simply search for “AI for HR Weekly Podcast” and enjoy expert insights anytime, anywhere.
3. Skill Builder for HR ⚓︎
Skill Builder for HR: Neurodiversity at Work
📅Thursday 26th March 2026
⏰12:30 - 14:00 ( 1 hour 30 mins )
📍Online
Part of the Skill Builder for HR series, this 90-minute practical session is designed for HR professionals managing diverse ways of working across their organisations. Dr Susan Hill of Medmark Occupational Healthcare will share practical guidance on helping HR move from reactive case management to proactive, culture-shaping impact. You’ll gain clear, actionable insights to better support employees, partner effectively with occupational health, and strengthen team dynamics. More here.
Legal Island Employment Law Hub Members receive two FREE Skill builder places*
*As part of their subscription - worth £270. T&Cs apply.
Find out more about all the upcoming Skill Builder for HR sessions HERE.
4. Northern Ireland Increase in Limits for April 2026 ⚓︎
Northern Ireland Increase in Limits Coming into Force on 6th April 2026
With thanks to Michelle McGinley of Employers Federation for this useful summary.
The Economy Committee is currently considering the draft Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026.
This is the routine annual Order that updates statutory limits in key areas such as a week’s pay, redundancy payments and unfair dismissal awards.
While Northern Ireland has historically mirrored the increases applied in Great Britain, NI continues to use a different rounding method, meaning the NI figures are slightly higher.
INCREASE STATUTORY LIMITS (NORTHERN IRELAND)
Maximum amount of a “week's pay”
- Used for calculating statutory redundancy payments and the basic or additional award for unfair dismissal.
- 2025/26: £749
- 2026/27: £783 (GB 2025 was £719; 2026 yet to be published)
Limit on the COMPENSATORY AWARD for UNFAIR DISMISSAL
- 2025/26: £118,455
- 2026/27: £123,785 (GB 2025 was £118,223; 2026 yet to be published)
Maximum BASIC AWARD for UNFAIR DISMISSALS
- 2025/26: £22,470
- 2026/27: £23,490 (GB 2025 was £21,570; 2026 yet to be published)
Limit on GUARANTEE PAY (per day)
- 2025/26: £39
- 2026/27: £41 (GB 2025 was £39; 2026 yet to be published but likely to be same as NI)
REMOVAL OF THE UNFAIR DISMISSAL CAP IN GB
Although this change does not apply in Northern Ireland , Employers operating across the UK should note that in Great Britain, the statutory cap on unfair dismissal compensation—currently £118k or one year’s pay (whichever is lower)—will be removed from 1 January 2027.
Find out more direct from the Assembly here.
5. Trans people facing ‘workers’ rights crisis’ as court rules employers can ban trans women from using female toilets ⚓︎
Trans people are facing a “workers’ rights crisis”, campaigners have warned, after the High Court ruled that employers can legally ban transgender women from using female toilets and changing rooms in the workplace. The latest ruling means that workplaces must provide single sex bathrooms on the basis of biological sex. Employers will be unable to allow, for example, trans women to use single-sex women’s toilets. The Independent has more on this story.
6. Gender Pay Gap ⚓︎
Gender pay gap won't close for another 30 years, warns trade unions group
Moves to close the gender pay gap will not be successful until 2056 if progress remains at its current rate, according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC). The disparity between average wages for men and women is 12.8%, or £2,548 per year, according to TUC analysis of official pay data. It is widest in the finance and insurance industry, at 27.2%. In the leisure service sector it was only 1.5%. More from the BBC.
TUC: Gender pay gap means women effectively work for free for 47 days a year
New TUC analysis reveals that the gender pay gap currently stands at 12.8%, the equivalent of £2,548 a year for the average woman worker. The union body says a number of factors are driving the pay gap – including women having to work part-time to accommodate for extended caring responsibilities throughout their lives, therefore taking a significant pay cut. More opportunities for men and women to share care, improved access to flexible working and better access to childcare must all be part of the solution. Read more.
Back to Top
7. Employment Trends ⚓︎
Online job posting trends 2026
A factsheet has been produced that details monthly online job posting trends across Northern Ireland. It includes an assessment of selected sectors as well as skills in demand. Some of the latest online job postings by employers are featured along with signposting to resources and support. Read it in full here.
Concern over lowest percentage of Catholic applicants to PSNI in a decade
Concern has been voiced at the lowest percentage of Catholic applicants to the PSNI is more than a decade. Police announced more than 4,000 had applied for their latest student officer recruitment campaign. According to police data, more than 65.6% who applied to the student officer campaign were Protestant, 26.7% were Catholic and 7.7% were undetermined. Some 63.5% of applicants were male, 36.5% were female, 7.3% were from the LGBT community, and 4.2% were from ethnic minorities. The percentage of Catholic applicants dropped from 28.8% in 2025. Belfast Live has more.
NI Labour Market Statistics - February 2026
The labour market statistics were published by the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency. Key points include:
- NI employees had a median monthly pay of £2,443 in January 2026
- 100 redundancies occurred in January 2026, taking the annual total to 2,300, which was nearly twenty five percent higher than the figure for the previous year (1,850)
UK unemployment rate hits five-year high of 5.2%
The BBC reports the UK's unemployment rate hit a near five-year high in the last three months of 2025, climbing to 5.2%, official figures show. The UK's economic growth has dampened, with a backdrop of slower hiring as businesses cut back due to higher costs. More here.
And…
CIPD: Labour Market Outlook – Winter 2025/26
The LMO is published every February, May, August and November. Its insights help HR professionals and employers anticipate labour market movements and to adjust and prepare accordingly. You can find the latest report here.
8. Number of employment tribunal claims surges to over half a million ⚓︎
UK Employment Tribunal claims rose 33% in Q2 2025/26. What do the latest statistics mean for HR leaders, employers, and workplace risk? HR Director has more.
9. Data Protection & Cyber Security ⚓︎
FOI is arming cyber attackers – here is how to fix it
Freedom of Information requests about cybersecurity governance create an impossible choice for public sector organisations. Full transparency risks enabling adversaries. Opacity undermines accountability. Without central guidance on how to navigate this trade-off, organisations are left to improvise — with chaotic results. Public Technology has more.
Lloyds to ‘learn lessons’ from using employees’ bank data
Lloyds Banking Group has said it will ‘learn lessons’ from its decision last year to analyse the personal bank account details of around 30,000 junior staff to help inform its position in pay negotiations. The bank faced criticism in November after it compared the saving and spending habits of its lowest-paid staff – who are strongly urged to bank with the group – with those of other customers. You can read more on this from Personnel Today.
10. Just in Case You Missed It... ⚓︎
M is for Modernising Employment Law – Making Sense of the ‘Good Jobs’ Employment Rights Bill
2026 is set to be a landmark year for employment law in Northern Ireland. The proposed ‘Good Jobs’ Employment Rights Bill represents the most comprehensive package of workplace reform seen locally in decades. Following extensive consultation, the Department for the Economy has confirmed its intention to legislate across a broad range of areas designed to improve job quality, enhance fairness, and strengthen employee voice. Read more from Shannon Lennon, HR Manager at AAB.
Q&A: Parental bereavement leave and pay explained
What is parental bereavement leave and pay, and who is entitled to take up to two weeks off work following the death of a child under 18 or a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy? Find out here.
Balancing Gender Equality Rights in the Workplace
The recent decision in the English Tribunal Ms B Hutchinson & Ors v County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust ET 2501192/2024 & Ors marks a significant development in the law on single sex spaces in the workplace. This judgment carries real weight in a rapidly evolving social and legal landscape. It highlights the growing complexity that surrounds this ever-evolving topic and reinforces the need for employers to have clear, lawful policies on dignity, privacy and safety. Niall McMullan, Partner and Head of Employment Team at Edwards Solicitors, has more.
11. HR Developments ⚓︎
People in insecure work suffer more mental ill health
People in precarious, insecure and low-paid work suffer greater mental ill health, taking more time off sick as a result. A research team led by Professor Shusho Okada of the Institute of Science Tokyo concluded that while the health effects of precarious employment are complex and multi-layered, they have particularly severe consequences for mental health through identifiable mediating factors. Catch up.
Research underlines importance of training managers to support employees with cancer
Group risk industry body GRiD says the true extent of long-term ill-health conditions, particularly cancer, is not fully known but its poll findings suggest line managers can encourage affected workers to access the help and support they need if they are given the right tools. Managers who receive training on how to handle sensitive conversations around serious ill-health conditions like cancer could encourage affected employees to come forward in greater numbers, feel more supported at work and better placed to access the help they need. More from IOSH magazine.
Why your brain has to work harder in an open-plan office than private offices: study
Research confirms what many suspected: our brains have to work harder in open-plan spaces than in private offices. You can read more from The Conversation.
12. Health & Safety Developments ⚓︎
County Londonderry concrete products manufacturer fined following death of employee
Following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) Tobermore Concrete Products Limited has yesterday (19 February 2026) been fined £160,000 at Londonderry Crown Court after pleading guilty to a single health and safety offence. Read more.
‘Falls are preventable’: New all-island construction safety campaign begins
A new all-island inspection campaign is underway targeting safety within the construction industry after new figures revealed the tragic loss of 68 lives due to falls from height since 2016 – 16 of which occurred in Northern Ireland alone. In response, the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), in partnership with the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) and Spinal Injuries Ireland have joined forces to launch a two-week all-island inspection campaign focusing on falls from height and improving compliance on sites. More here.
13. Employment News in the Media ⚓︎
An employment tribunal has been told to look again at the case of a Christian social worker who claims he was discriminated against when he was rejected for a job after a health charity discovered his views on homosexuality. Read more.
Legal Futures reports an in-house lawyer who lied to Leeds Employment Tribunal (LET) and fabricated a notice of a hearing at another tribunal to secure an adjournment has been struck off. More here.
Plymouth Live reports a Lidl employee was dismissed after consuming a 17p bottle of water because he felt "dehydrated" while working at the checkout, as revealed in a tribunal. Julian Oxborough had been employed at Lidl's Wincanton store in Somerset for over 10 years before his termination. An employment tribunal subsequently rejected his claim for unfair dismissal. More here.
A programme coordinator whose boss asked if she was going through menopause has lost her claim for sex harassment at tribunal. Lucie Waller, who worked at Swann Engineering Group, brought claims of sexual harassment, victimisation and constructive dismissal after her line manager, Andrew Gregory, made two menopause-related remarks when she lost her train of thought. The East London tribunal ruled that, in the context of a workplace where menopause was openly discussed, the comments did not meet the legal threshold of harassment under the Equality Act 2010. People Management has more.
14. GB Developments
NB: Please note these articles relate to GB and do not apply in Northern Ireland, unless otherwise stated.
GB Trade union reforms came into force on 18 February
A number of changes to trade union regulations in England & Wales came into force on18 February as part of the GB Employment Rights Act 2025. From 18 February 2026, the ERA repeals the great majority of the Trade Union Act 2016. This first phase of trade union reform will simplify the information on ballot papers and notices of industrial action and remove the requirement to ballot members every 10 years on the use of political funds. It means employers can only require 10 days’ notice of industrial action, rather than the current 14 days and removes the 40% support threshold required before industrial action in “important public services”. More from Personnel Today.
Reform UK would ‘repeal Equality Act’
A Reform UK government would repeal the Equality Act on day one, so it could build a country defined by ‘personal responsibility not victimhood’, Suella Braverman has said. Braverman, the former home secretary who defected to Reform UK from the Conservatives last month, had earlier been announced as the party’s spokesperson on education, skills and equalities. At a press conference in London where Reform’s leader Nigel Farage announced his “shadow” team, Braverman said the UK was being “ripped apart by diversity, equality and inclusion”. More from Personnel Today.
Unfair dismissal reform under the Employment Rights Act 2025 marks a significant shift for employers
With the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) receiving Royal Assent and becoming the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA) on 18 December 2025, landmark changes to unfair dismissal law have now been ushered in. These reforms mark a significant shift in the balance between employee rights and employer responsibilities with major implications for how businesses manage recruitment, probationary periods, performance and dismissal. Here, Amber Ward, Solicitor from Brabner’s Employment team, explores what the changes will mean in practice - from the new six month qualifying period to the removal of the statutory cap on the compensatory award. More here.
15. Free Webinars This Month ⚓︎
Employment Law at 11:
New Legislation: Paid Miscarriage Leave and Bereavement Rights
📅 Friday 6th March
🕒 11am to 11.45am
📍 Live online | Free to attend
NEW LEGISLATION ALERT: Join Seamus McGranaghan of O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors and Christine Quinn of Legal Island for the next instalment of Employment Law at 11. They’ll be offering a guide to paid miscarriage leave in Northern Ireland, coming into effect in April 2026, and broader guidance on supporting employees through bereavement. We’ll cover statutory entitlements, policy considerations, and best practice for compassionate workplace support, helping employers navigate these sensitive situations with confidence.
**As a bonus for attending you'll receive FREE access to Legal Island's Bereavement in the Workplace eLearning course**
Can't wait til March, why not catch up?
While you’re waiting for our March webinar, catch up on NI - Employment Law at 11: Restructuring with Respect
In this webinar, Employment Law at 11 regular Seamus McGranaghan of O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors and special guest Denise Collins of ForeBee Consulting explore how to handle redundancy lawfully and respectfully—from fair processes and communication, to supporting those affected and retaining trust among those who stay.
A practical session for anyone involved in difficult workforce decisions.
Please note that the employment law matters discussed in this webinar apply primarily to Northern Ireland.
Enjoy your weekend!
Legal Island
Continue reading
We help hundreds of people like you understand how the latest changes in employment law impact your business.
Please log in to view the full article.
What you'll get:
- Help understand the ramifications of each important case from NI, GB and Europe
- Ensure your organisation's policies and procedures are fully compliant with NI law
- 24/7 access to all the content in the Legal Island Vault for research case law and HR issues
- Receive free preliminary advice on workplace issues from the employment team
Already a subscriber? Log in now or start a free trial
