jump to content of this page Bized logo linked to homepage
You are here: Home > Current Topics > Research Projects > Employer/Employee Rights and Responsibilities > Conflict and the Law

Current Topics

Subscribe to our newsletter

Advertise with Biz/ed
Bookmark and Share

Advanced

Research Project

Employer/Employee Rights and Responsibilities - Conflict and the Law

Many businesses are able to carry out their work with a minimum amount of problems in relation to employment law. However, there are invariably many cases where problems arise. The next section seeks to identify some of the major areas of conflict and to try to identify what the law has to say about these issues, what employers might think and do and what rights and responsibilities the employee has in such situations.

The cases selected are all real and you may well have heard of some of them - they have often been the subjects of high profile news items!

Case 1

Employee/er rights and responsibilities (http://www.bized.co.uk/cgi-bin/chron/chron.pl?id=2163)

Read this 'In the News' article that appeared on Biz/ed in July 2004.

  1. What are the legal responsibilities of employers in such cases? Cite the relevant Acts to support your answer.
  2. Why might an employer argue that in some cases the law penalises them in running their business as effectively as they would like?
  3. Does an employee have a responsibility to tell a prospective employer personal details about their personal life and plans?

Case 2

'Shocking' racism in jobs market (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3885213.stm)

This news article highlighted the possibility that the extent of race discrimination in the work place was more extensive than many people might have thought.

  1. Does the article suggest that the law, as it stands, is not working?
  2. Look at the BBC article Respecting all the workers. Are the amendments in the law likely to improve matters for employees and reduce discrimination?
  3. What steps might an employer take to reduce incidents of discrimination in the workplace?

Case 3

Disabled prison officers 'sacked' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3880017.stm)

This article suggests that workers in some industries face difficulties because of disability - the term 'disabled' can mean many things.

  1. Consider the types of disability an individual might have.
  2. How could a business manage the working environment to cater for some of these disabilities? Use specific examples where possible.
  3. The Web has become an important part of the working lives of millions of people in the UK. What responsibilities does disability legislation place on Web designers and businesses running Web sites?

The following links may help you to answer the last question:

  • Webcredible (http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-accessibility/uk-website-legal-requirements.shtml)
  • Guild of Accessible Web Designers - this site provides information for designers to check that the code they are using is valid (http://www.gawds.org/show.php?contentid=102)
  • Disability Rights Commission - provides some examples of how Web design can be inappropriate for disabled people (http://www.drc-gb.org/newsroom/website1.asp)

Index | Previous | Next