What's New

New figures published by the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) linking coronavirus deaths to people’s jobs, have prompted some experts to argue the data is proof that the coronavirus is an occupational disease while others have claimed the figures speak to Britain’s “social class divide”.

The Government’s new guidance for employers is based on five safe working principles, to help businesses get back up and running and British workers safely return to work during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement to the House of Commons that will have come as a huge relief to thousands of businesses across the country, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has confirmed that he will extend the coronavirus furlough scheme to the end of October.

The rules for transporting goods internationally are covered by the United Nations Convention for the carriage of goods, known as the CMR (Convention relative au contrat de transport international de Marchandises par Route).

When the Prime Minister addressed the nation on the way out of the current lockdown, he left a lot of detail to be explained later but was clear on one aspect — the use of public transport in the near future must be severely curtailed.

In its plan for gradually moving the country out of lockdown, the Government mentioned that it would be producing guides to help employers, employees and the self-employed to work safely during the pandemic.

When Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to the nation on Sunday evening (see “Prime Minister sets out cautious and conditional plan”) there was some criticism that his description of the way out of lockdown lacked clarity and detail.

In its plan for gradually moving the country out of lockdown (see “Government publishes its COVID-19 recovery strategy”), the Government mentioned that it would be producing guides to help employers, employees and the self-employed to work safely during the pandemic.

Loading and unloading goods vehicles at distribution centres can put drivers and other workers at risk, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned.

Please note that on 12 May 2020, it was announced that the Job Retention Scheme has been extended until the end of October. From August, the Scheme is likely to run slightly differently to allow the sharing of wage costs between the employer and the Government where employees are brought back to work on a part-time basis.