Occupational Health to be the Focus of UK Conference

With approximately 1.2 million workers in the United Kingdom thought to be suffering from a work-related illness in 2013-14, it’s perhaps no surprise that occupational health will be the main focus when the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) holds its 40th annual National Safety Symposium (NSS) later this year. Working alongside with, health […]

Government Unveils Reforms to Strike Laws

The UK Government has recently published details of proposed reforms to strike laws, which it says will fairly balance the right to strike with the right of people to be able to go about their daily lives and work. The Trade Union Bill will introduce: a 50% threshold for ballot turn-out, and an additional threshold […]

House Prices Continue to Rise in Edinburgh

There has been a slight fall in house prices across East Central Scotland, according to the latest ESPC House Report, although certain areas continue to buck the trend, including Dunfermline and parts of Edinburgh. June’s House Report shows that there was a 0.5% fall in house prices between April and June 2015 compared to the […]

First Year of Early Conciliation from Acas

According to a recent report from Acas, the first year of its Early Conciliation (EC) service has been a success, with the workplace body dealing with over 83,000 EC cases between April 2014 and March 2015. A change to the law was introduced last year that meant anyone thinking of making an employment tribunal claim […]

Scotland Bucks UK Property Supply Trend

The latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey has found that Scotland’s supply of residential housing is rising at a quicker rate than anywhere else in the UK. While the picture for the rest of the UK shows that, post-general election, a surge in new vendor instructions has failed to materialise, a net balance of 30% […]

IOSH Course Helping Employers Make UK Workplace Safer

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has developed a training programme, which provides business leaders with the knowledge they require to appropriately manage health and safety within their respective enterprises. Crucially, the training package is specifically designed for business leader who have limited spare time on their hands. Commenting on the course, which […]

Dispute between Neighbours over Height of Hedge

Scotland’s High Hedges Act has been used once again to resolve a long-running and bitter dispute between neighbours, reports the Telegraph. Residents of the village of Buchlyvie in Stirlingshire used the legislation to require a neighbour to drastically cut back a leylandii hedge that had reached around 40ft in height. The height of the trees […]

Edinburgh is Becoming a Seller’s Market

The property market in Edinburgh and the rest of East Central Scotland is becoming more of a seller’s market, according to the ESPC, with a fall in the number of new homes being put on the market. ESPC figures show that between the months of March and May this year there has been a fall […]

Fighting Age Discrimination in Recruitment

A best practice protocol that aims to end age discrimination in recruitment has been launched by Age UK and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation to give older people a better chance of finding work. The UK’s workforce is ageing: between 2012 and 2022 there will be an additional 3.7 million people aged between 50 and […]

Sheriff Appeal Court Appointments Confirmed

The appointments of Sheriff Principal Mhairi Stephen QC as the President of the new Sheriff Appeal Court and Sheriff Principal Craig Scott QC as Vice President have recently been confirmed by the Lord President. It has also been confirmed that retired Sheriffs Principal Alastair Dunlop QC and Brian Lockhart are among those to be appointed […]