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07 March 2025 / Charles Pigott
Issue: 8107 / Categories: Features , Employment , Disciplinary&grievance procedures
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A new route for striking workers?

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Could a recent ruling plug the gap in remedies for trade union detriment claims? Charles Pigott considers the scope of the Blacklisting Regulations
  • The Court of Appeal ruling in Morais and others v Ryanair DAC [2025] EWCA Civ 19 has opened a way for striking workers who have been subject to detrimental treatment because of their participation in official industrial action to recover compensation from their employers.

The Court of Appeal’s ruling in Morais and others v Ryanair DAC [2025] EWCA Civ 19 has revealed a new legal route for trade union detriment claims based on the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/493) (the Blacklisting Regulations).

Since last year’s Supreme Court ruling in Secretary of State for Business and Trade v Mercer [2024] UKSC 12, it has been clear that workers who have taken part in industrial action are not protected from detriment under s 146, Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULRCA 1992). Separate TULRCA 1992 provisions apply to protect workers

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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