Employment law

Helping you Through a Wide range of Employment Disputes

Employment disputes can be extremely uncomfortable and stressful for those involved. For many people, a career is not just a source of income but is also the result of years of training and hard work, so any problems can be very stressful and can have a serious impact on both your professional and personal life.While laws do exist to create a fair working environment and to protect your safety, not every employer respects the law and sometimes your legal rights are breached. We understand what your job means to you and your family and will try to come to a solution as quickly as possible regardless of the nature of your problem. The specialist Employment Team at Fraser Dawbarns are experts in all areas of employment law and can help answer any queries that you may have. Contact us to find out more.This page covers our employment law services for employees. If you are an employer looking for employment law advice, please see our Employment Law for Business service page.

Our Employment Disputes Services

Our clients come to us with a wide range of employment disputes, from simple unpaid wages claims to complex unfair dismissal and discrimination claims. We routinely deal with issues such as:

Changes to Your Employment Contract

Generally, your employer should seek your agreement for any changes in your contract. If you do not agree to this, your employer may seek to impose the change. Your employer will need to have a strong business case in order to vary your contract without agreement. If your contract of employment is being altered without your consent, contact our Employment Team who can provide you with advice on how to proceed under these circumstances.

Unpaid Money Claims

Employment disputes related to unpaid wages, redundancy, holiday pay, bonus payments, pensions, family leave, and flexible working should be acted upon quickly as it is harder to get your money after 3 months from the date you should have been paid. If you are unable to resolve this with your employer time is of the essence, so contact our Employment Team today and we can start guiding you through the process of making a claim.

Grievances

If you have tried talking to your employer about a concern, problem or complaint but you are not able to resolve it informally, you can raise the matter formally using your employer’s grievance procedures. When raising a grievance against your employer, it is useful to have advice from an employment law professional to help you understand your rights. The employment experts at Fraser Dawbarns have helped numerous people bringing grievance claims and will be happy to assist you. Call or email us today for more information.

Disciplinary Procedures

If your employer is concerned about absences, your conduct, or your work, they can start disciplinary action against you. The disciplinary policy should be in writing and available to all employees. In brief, you should be invited to a disciplinary hearing where the complaint will be examined and which you are entitled to be accompanied to, a decision will then be reached and the outcome provided to you. If you receive an unsatisfactory outcome, you will be able to appeal this. This is very distressing process, but we will be on hand to provide advice through the procedure. If you are going through a disciplinary procedure, contact the Employment Team at Fraser Dawbarns for advice on your specific circumstances.

Bullying and Harassment Claims

Bullying or harassment can take many forms. It can be one-on-one or involve groups; it can be obvious or subtle. The one commonality is that it is unwarranted and unwelcome to the individual concerned. If you are being bullied or harassed at work, regardless of the form this takes, contact the Employment Team at Fraser Dawbarns who can help you understand your legal position and help to find the solution that works best for you.

Health & Safety at Work

Health and safety has become a buzzword for when bureaucracy overrides common sense. However, in the most part health and safety law is rational, sensible and exists to ensure that employers have a duty of care to their workers. If you have been injured as a result of a health and safety breach and your employer has not provided suitable training or put adequate safety procedures in place, we can help you navigate the rules and regulations to help with your claim. Contact the Employment Team for advice on health and safety law in the workplace.

Redundancies, Workplace Restructuring and Business Transfer (TUPE)

A business reorganisation is a stressful time for employees of that firm. Historically, if your employer was bought or lost a major contract, it was likely that you would lose your job. Since 2006, the TUPE regulations have meant that employees now have far more protection from dismissal or changes to their contract in the event of a business restructure or transfer. If your employer is restructuring, the business is sold, or they lose a major contract, we can help you understand your rights in the case of redundancy or transfer to another employer.

Unfair or Constructive Dismissal Claims

Redundancy or dismissal because you are unable to do your job properly is usually considered to be fair dismissal. However, if your employer doesn’t have good reason for dismissing you or doesn’t follow the formal disciplinary or dismissal process, and you have the qualifying period of employment, you may be able to bring an unfair dismissal claim. If your employer’s conduct forces you to leave your job against your will, you may have grounds for a constructive dismissal claim. Contact our Employment Team who can advise you on whether you have a claim.

Discrimination

It is illegal for your employer to discriminate against you because of a protected characteristic. These are: age, gender reassignment, being married or in a civil partnership, being pregnant or on maternity leave, disability, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. If you have been discriminated against because of one of these ‘protected characteristics’, please get in touch with our Employment Team who will be able to help you.

Why Choose Fraser Dawbarns To Help You?

direct access to your solicitor

Our Employment Team develops a good understanding of our client’s businesses and form close working relationships with our business clients. Clients who wish to arrange an appointment with our Employment Team can do so easily, visiting us at any of our offices across East Cambridgeshire and West Norfolk. We can also visit you at your business if you prefer.

pricing options

It is important to us that our clients know exactly what they will pay and the scope of the services they will receive at the beginning of the transaction. That is why Fraser Dawbarns offer a fixed fee service with no hidden costs or unexpected charges for clients who are dealing with legal disputes.

No Hidden fees

Clients opting for our fixed fee service, will know how much they will pay for the matter before we start work. Clients who prefer to be billed at an hourly rate will also be given a realistic range of costs before we begin. Transparency and trustworthiness are important to us, and we will never surprise you with hidden charges that were not explained to you at the outset.