Powered by Lexis+®
Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom
CASE STUDY

“We rely on LexisNexis to give us a definitive answer, quickly and reliable every time so that we can be confident in the advice we use to help our clients.”

Shelter

Access all documents on Relevant employer

Relevant employer meaning

What does Relevant employer mean?
In practice, “relevant employer” describes an employer that falls within the statutory pensions consultation duty when proposing a “listed change” to an occupational or personal pension scheme. The term is defined in legislation: the Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Consultation by Employers and Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2006 (as amended) for Great Britain. A relevant employer is one that: - Employs in Great Britain at least 50 employees (this threshold is the total number of employees, not the number of affected scheme members). - Is not an “excluded employer” (as defined in the Regulations). Employee numbers are calculated by taking the number employed in each month in the 12 months before the listed change proposal, adding those monthly figures together and dividing by 12. An employee working less than 75 hours in a month may count as half an employee for that month. This status determines whether the employer must consult appropriate representatives before implementing listed pension changes. In Northern Ireland, materially similar provisions apply under corresponding Northern Ireland regulations. In Ireland, “relevant employer” is not a defined pensions term of art; usage is descriptive, and consultation obligations arise under separate Irish legislation and pension scheme governance rules rather than the GB/NI pensions consultation regime.
Speed up all aspects of your legal work with tools that help you to work faster and smarter. Win cases, close deals and grow your business–all whilst saving time and reducing risk.

View the related Checklists about Relevant employer

CHECKLISTS
Employment settlement agreements for employers: drafting checklist covering statutory validity, tax (PENP/£30,000), pensions, shares/options, directors, public sector controls, covenants, confidentiality, references and adviser requirements

The employer and its advisers ought to reflect on the following matters: Preparatory steps From the employer, gather: a copy of the departing employee’s latest employment contract and any other documents setting out contractual terms (note: these might sit within a staff handbook) particulars of the employee’s contractual benefits pertinent details about the employee’s pension entitlements information on any shares/share options held by the employee; review the Articles of Association, any relevant shareholder agreement, and share scheme documentation. See also Shares and share options below Status of negotiations Will discussions occur directly between the parties, or via their respective legal advisers? How robust is the employer’s bargaining position? How credible are the employee’s existing or potential claims? For any dismissal, is there a fair reason and has a fair procedure been followed? Is the employer in repudiatory breach? What is the employer initially...

Read More Right Arrow
CHECKLISTS
Section 75 employer debts in occupational pension schemes: triggers, grace periods, deferred debt, restructuring exemptions, apportionment and withdrawal options—practitioners’ checklist

When does a section 75 debt arise? An s 75 liability crystallises in respect of an occupational pension scheme that is underfunded on a buy-out basis and: an employment-cessation event happens for a relevant participating employer within a multi-employer scheme an insolvency event occurs in relation to a participating employer of the scheme, or the scheme formally goes into winding up In a multi-employer scheme, an employer’s s 75 debt is its allocated share of the scheme deficit, appropriately assessed on a buy-out basis. As an alternative to immediately paying the s 75 debt in full, an employer may enter into a deferred debt arrangement, an apportionment arrangement, or a withdrawal arrangement. Section 75 does not apply at all to money purchase schemes, unregistered pension schemes, unfunded public sector schemes, and a scheme with only one member. ...

Read More Right Arrow
CHECKLISTS
Employee medical reports: employer checklist on AMRA 1988, UK GDPR/DPA 2018, OH involvement, consent, contractual rights, handling special category data, retention, disclosure and equality duties

This is a Checklist of the main issues that an employer will need to consider when seeking a medical report on a current employee during the employee’s employment: Clarify the objective of the report clearly. See Practice Note: Medical reports—data protection issues and AMRA 1988—Purposes of medical report. Explain why health information is required and set out the grounds for requesting a medical report—is there a defined element of the role that necessitates it, or is the aim to evaluate overall health, eg for a physically demanding post? Set the scope of the report—identify precisely what the employer needs to know, avoiding intrusion where it is not needed or relevant. Consider whether involving an occupational health (OH) professional or service could limit the volume of health data the employer processes. Specify who will have sight of the report, when they will see it, and for what purpose they will use it. Confirm who will prepare the report. ...

Read More Right Arrow

View the related Flowcharts about Relevant employer

FLOWCHARTS
Section 423 Insolvency Act 1986 (England and Wales and Scotland): Flowchart of Requirements and Claim Steps for Transactions Defrauding Creditors

This flowchart sets out the process under the FIDIC Red, Yellow and Silver Books, 1999 editions, for defects under: clause 7.5, where Plant, Materials, design or workmanship are discovered to be faulty or otherwise non-compliant with the Contract, and the Employer rejects the relevant Plant, Materials, design or workmanship clause 7.6, when the Employer directs the Contractor to strip out and substitute any non-compliant Plant or Materials, to take out and reperform any other work that does not meet the Contract, or to carry out any work urgently needed to protect the safety of the Works clause 11.1, under which the Contractor must perform all tasks necessary to make good defects or damage, as notified by the Employer on or before the end of the Defects Notification Period clause 12.3, if a Test after Completion is not passed, and clause 11.1(b) concerning the rectification of defects applies (Yellow and Silver Books only) For further details, see Practice Note: FIDIC Contracts (pre–2017...

Read More Right Arrow
FLOWCHARTS
Employment disputes: international jurisdiction under Brussels I (recast) for proceedings issued on or before IP completion day (31 December 2020)—flowchart [Archived]

Background to and scope of this flowchart An individual who conducts a regulated activity in the UK in the course of business, where no relevant exclusion or exemption applies, must be authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA 2000). For details and context on the consequences of carrying on a regulated activity without authorisation, consult Practice Note: The general prohibition and implications of its breach. For an explanation of what it means to carry on business in the UK, see Practice Notes: What does 'by way of business' mean? and Territorial scope of the general prohibition. For guidance on exemptions and exclusions that may apply in particular circumstances, refer to Practice Notes: Regulated activities—exempt persons and Exclusions and exemptions relating to the general prohibition—an introduction...

Read More Right Arrow
FLOWCHARTS
Final Payment Process under JCT Design and Build Contract 2011 — Archived Flowchart

Clause 20.2 claims flowchart summary (FIDIC 2017) This flowchart describes the process for claims by the Contractor or Employer under clause 20.2 of the FIDIC Red and Yellow Books 2017, and applies to the following: Employer claims for the following: additional payment or a decrease in the Contract Price; and/or an extension of the Defects Notification Period Contractor claims for the following: additional payment; and/or an extension to the Time for Completion The party making a claim must also meet any specific requirements found in the clause setting out the relevant entitlement. For more information, see Practice Note: FIDIC contracts 2017—Contractor and Employer claims...

Read More Right Arrow

View the related News about Relevant employer

NEWS
Employment law weekly: 2024 case law and legislation highlights, Employment Tribunal Rules 2024, discrimination and TUPE updates, immigration trends, EHRC guidance, and 2025 horizon scanning

In this issue: Horizon scanning Status and worker categories Cross-border, international and jurisdictional issues Benefits Prohibited conduct (discrimination etc) TUPE and asset purchases Bribery, modern slavery, tax evasion and fraud Employment Tribunals Immigration IRLR Highlights—January 2025 Dates for your diary Trackers New Q&As Employment resources on Lexis+® Daily and weekly news alerts Employment Highlights 2024/2025 Horizon scanning Employment Law—looking back at 2024 and ahead to 2025: The Lexis+® Employment team provide a concise overview of the standout employment law changes across 2024 and signpost what to watch in 2025, including movement on the Employment Rights Bill, the forthcoming employer duty to prevent sexual harassment, the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, plus other impending legislation and significant cases. See News Analysis: Employment Law—looking back at 2024 and ahead to 2025. Status and worker categories MoD loses application to rehear army reservists pension bias case: In Milroy v...

Read More Right Arrow
NEWS
Whistleblowing dismissal detriment: EAT allows vicarious liability for co-worker’s act; Osipov applied, Wicked Vision conflict, Court of Appeal pending (Treadwell v Barton Turns Development) (Great Britain)

Treadwell v Barton Turns Development Ltd [2024] EAT 137 What are the practical implications of this decision? The practical effect is that uncertainty endures as to whether a claimant can contend both that a co-worker imposed the detriment of dismissal and that the employer bears vicarious responsibility for that misconduct, even though the employer could not itself be personally liable for the detriment of dismissal. Pursuing such a formulation assists the claimant owing to the approach to causation, and because compensation for injury to feelings is available on a detriment claim but not for an unfair dismissal claim issued directly against the employer. In this appeal, HHJ Barklem indicates adherence to the unambiguous language of paragraph 91 in Osipov, which points to vicarious liability being capable of arising in these circumstances. That conclusion directly clashes with Bourne J’s judgment in Wicked Vision, which reached the reverse view on the footing that paragraph 91 did not form part of Osipov’s ratio. The consequence is a continuing lack of clarity pending...

Read More Right Arrow
NEWS
Adjudication: TCC upholds fair-and-reasonable overall valuation; macro approach defeats natural justice and reasons challenge (Clegg Food v Prestige Car) (England and Wales)

Clegg Food Projects Ltd v Prestige Car Direct Properties Ltd [2025] EWHC 2173 (TCC) What are the practical implications of this case? Clegg Food v Prestige Car confirms that, in payment disputes over overall or global valuations, adjudicators have wide latitude in their determinations, including making a 'fair and reasonable' valuation drawn from the material and submissions advanced by the parties. Losing parties should take a pragmatic stance when considering enforcement challenges—where the outcome falls within the spectrum advanced by the parties, minor irregularities or high-level reasoning will not unsettle the decision unless there is a material breach of natural justice. Highly detailed natural justice complaints, where both sides sought a global valuation, are very unlikely to succeed. What was the background? The claimant contractor (Clegg Food) and the defendant employer (Prestige Car) entered into a JCT Design and Build contract for a leisure and retail centre. After practical completion, a dispute arose regarding Application for Payment No 37 (Application 37), addressing the valuation of agreed...

Read More Right Arrow

View the related Practice Notes about Relevant employer

PRACTICE NOTES
The Pensions Regulator's moral hazard powers: contribution notices and financial support directions: tests, procedure, reasonableness, guidance, case law, clearance and Pension Schemes Act 2021 criminal offences

The Pensions Regulator (the Regulator) The Regulator is an arm’s-length public body set up under the Pensions Act 2004 (PeA 2004). Its authority to impose contribution notices and financial support directions appears in PeA 2004, ss 38–50. Although the Act does not use the label, these provisions are widely known as the Regulator’s ‘moral hazard’ powers. Their purpose is to counter the ‘moral hazard’ arising from the Pension Protection Fund (PPF): the possibility that corporate groups might organise their structures so as to heighten exposure within their pension schemes, comfortable that the PPF would intervene if the employer entered insolvency. The principal moral hazard tools—and the only ones exercised so far—are the power to issue a contribution notice (CN) and the power to issue a financial support direction (FSD). A CN compels the recipient to pay a specified amount into a defined benefit occupational pension scheme. A CN can be issued where the criteria in PeA 2004, s 38 are satisfied. These mechanisms exist to deter behaviour that would...

Read More Right Arrow
PRACTICE NOTES
Ireland: TUPE transfers—transferor and transferee duties, information and consultation, due diligence, ETO dismissals, and WRC remedies

Governing legislation The process of transferring undertakings is regulated by SI No 131/2003 European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003 (Ireland) (SI No 131/2003 (IRL)), commonly known as the TUPE Regulations 2003 (IRL). These 2003 Regulations superseded SI No 306/1980 European Communities (Safeguarding of Employees’ Rights on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 1980 (Ireland), as later amended by SI No 487/2000 European Communities (Safeguarding of Employees’ Rights on Transfer of Undertakings) (Amendment) Regulations 2000 (Ireland). The earlier regime gave effect to the EU Acquired Rights Directive 77/187/EEC in Ireland. Relevant transfers Numerous European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings have clarified what amounts to a transfer for the purposes of Directive 77/187/EEC and, in turn, the TUPE Regulations 2003 (IRL). A detailed review of that body of caselaw lies outside this Practice Note and is not attempted here. In essence, a transfer arises where the undertaking keeps its identity after the handover; in other words, where the undertaking is passed on as a going concern,...

Read More Right Arrow
PRACTICE NOTES
Joint employment: legal presumption, vicarious liability, agency workers, office‑holders, schools, collective bargaining, TUPE, tax and contractual drafting issues

Quick view This Practice Note explores whether an employee can be engaged by two or more employers for the same role at the same time—joint employment (also termed dual employment or multiple employment). It examines the general assumption, the issue of vicarious liability, and the position of agency workers, office-holders and teachers. It also considers the setting of collective bargaining, the effect of TUPE 2006, and tax questions that may arise. Finally, it reviews the factors relevant to written contracts that involve multiple employers. Joint employment is typically discussed in relation to vicarious liability, for instance negligence (see: Vicarious liability, below). Regarding an individual’s employment rights, it appears reasonably clear that the prevailing presumption—that an employee cannot have more than one employer for the same work at the same time—can be displaced in these situations: where the person has two roles with separate employers and the roles are compatible; and where two or more employers act together within a partnership or joint venture ...

Read More Right Arrow

View the related Precedents about Relevant employer

PRECEDENTS
Statutory Carer’s Leave: Model Employer Policy for Great Britain — entitlement, dependants, long‑term care need, notice, postponement, pay and return to work

1 Introduction 1.1 This policy explains how [ insert name of organisation ] (the Company) will handle the statutory entitlement that permits employees to take unpaid time away from work to organise or provide care for a dependant with a long-term care need, and sets out the steps you should follow if you need to request this leave. 1.2 [ This policy applies solely to employees. It does not extend to agency workers, consultants [ , contractors ] [ , volunteers ] [ , interns ] or casual workers. OR This policy applies to all employees, officers, agency workers, consultants [ , contractors ] [ , volunteers ] [ , interns ] and casual workers. ] 1.3 This policy has been [ agreed OR introduced following consultation ] with [ [ enter name of relevant trade union(s) ] OR [ enter name of works council ] OR [ enter name of staff association ] ]. 1.4 In some circumstances, you may have the right to take...

Read More Right Arrow
PRECEDENTS
Comprehensive Amendments to SBCC 2016 Standard Building Contract (Without Quantities) for Scotland: Design Liability, Third-Party Agreements, Insurance, Bonds, Collateral Warranties, Payment, Retention, Fluctuations, Dispute Resolution and Insolvency

The Contract comprises the completed Standard Building Contract Without Quantities for use in Scotland 2016 published by the SBCC subject to the following amendments: Recitals and Articles updated: contractor to provide a master programme and Schedule of Information Requirements; CDP responsibility accepted; Principal Contractor duties priced; arbitration deleted; Schedule of Amendments prevails; Third Party Agreements duties. Contract Particulars: arbitration entries removed; Rectification Period set at 12 months; fluctuations and certain PII/guarantee entries deleted. Conditions: key definitions revised (Practical Completion, Copyright Material, Design sub‑contractors, Funder, Site); Scottish jurisdiction; approvals mean principles only; entire agreement; variations in writing. Design/materials/programming: contractor accepts ER/CP; quality and non‑deleterious materials; programme reporting; site risk; drawings/info supply; tighter discrepancy notices. Time/defects: mitigate and advise on delay; narrower Relevant Events; Practical Completion clarified; stronger rectification, consequential damage and indemnity; phased as‑built/occupation information. IP/confidentiality/BIM: broader licence, moral rights waivers and delivery; confidentiality reinforced; BIM where adopted. Management/sub‑contracting: access, approved Site Manager, meetings; prescribed sub‑contracts; collateral warranties/third‑party rights; CDM duties; insurance...

Read More Right Arrow
PRECEDENTS
Short-form employment settlement agreement template (English law) with termination payments, waiver of claims, confidentiality, permitted disclosures, and adviser certificate

This Agreement is made on [ insert date ] Parties [ Insert Employer’s name ], whose registered office is at [ insert Employer’s address ], company registration number [ insert Employer’s company number ] (Employer); [ Insert Employee’s name ] of [ insert Employee’s address ] (you). The parties agree: Termination of employment 1.1 Your employment with the Employer [ will terminate OR terminated ] owing to [ insert reason for termination ] on [ insert date ] (Termination Date). 1.2 For the period up to and including the Termination Date, you [ will be OR have been ] paid your accrued basic salary (less deductions for income tax and primary class 1 (employee) National Insurance contributions ( PAYE Deductions )) and [ will have OR have ] received your contractual benefits [ , including a payment of £[ insert amount ] in respect of [ insert number ] days’ accrued but untaken holiday entitlement ] [...

Read More Right Arrow

View the related Q&As about Relevant employer

Q&As
Holiday carry over if leave not prevented: permitted by contract?

Under WTR 1998, workers get 5.6 weeks’ annual leave each year: a basic entitlement of four weeks’ leave (20 days for a standard full‑time worker) implementing article 7 of the Working Time Directive (WTD) an additional 1.6 weeks’ leave (eight days for a standard full‑time worker) created by domestic law only Understanding this distinction is important because: European Court of Justice case law concerns the WTD alone, so it applies only to the basic four weeks’ paid leave holiday pay is calculated differently for: the basic four weeks, and the additional 1.6 weeks The general rules as to the right to carry forward accrued holiday entitlement are that: the basic four weeks must be taken in the leave year earned and cannot be carried over (though an employer may choose to allow it) a relevant agreement may allow the additional 1.6...

Read More Right Arrow
Q&As
Employer auxiliary aid in union paid time off; trade organisation duty?

Duty to make reasonable adjustments The Equality Act 2010 (EqA 2010) establishes a duty to make reasonable adjustments (referred to below as ‘the duty’), which contains three distinct requirements. The third requires that, where a disabled person would, without the provision of an auxiliary aid, face a substantial disadvantage in relation to a relevant matter when compared with people who are not disabled, such steps as are reasonable must be taken to supply the auxiliary aid. The situations in which the duty arises differ across workplace settings. Accordingly, the precise circumstances that engage the duty will not be uniform across all settings. For all three requirements, the duty is triggered only where a disabled individual is placed at a substantial disadvantage compared with non‑disabled people ‘in relation to a “relevant matter”’, and what counts as a ‘relevant matter’ (as defined in EqA 2010, Sch 8 Pt 1) varies according to the particular type of workplace. As a result, application of the duty is context‑specific to the workplace in question....

Read More Right Arrow
Q&As
TUPE: Can a transferee continue a pending disciplinary process?

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE 2006), SI 2006/246, reg 4 Where a relevant transfer occurs under these provisions, there is a novation imposed by statute of the contracts of employment of the staff who transfer; the incoming employer stands in the place of the outgoing employer, and each employment contract continues after the transfer as if it had been originally concluded between the employee and the transferee throughout for all relevant legal purposes thereafter...

Read More Right Arrow