The Need-to-Know 5:

1. Good Jobs: not everyone's convinced ⚠️
2. 50 years of the Labour Relations Agency  🎂
3. Dan Walker's former co-anchor blows the whistle on broadcaster's culture 🎙️
4. Could a digital twin make you into a 'superworker'? 🤖
5. TUPE: what managers need to know 📋

In other news................Working across jurisdictions? Don't forget to add our Comparative Law Table to your desktop for easy access!

1. Case Law Reviews
2. AI and Employment Law
3. Skill Builder for HR: TUPE Management
4. Good Jobs Bill
5. Cybersecurity
6. Pay Transparency
7. Celebrating 50 years of the Labour Relations Agency
8. Just in Case You Missed It...
9. HR Developments
10. Employment News in the Media
11. GB Developments
12. Friends of Legal Island
13. Free Webinars This Month

Dhakal v Fintru Ltd [2026] Case No: 6015358/2025

Summary Description: 

Claimant was no longer eligible for a visa due to salary thresholds; decision to dismiss was fair for some other substantial reason.

Claimant: 

Surya Dhakal

Respondent: 

Fintru Ltd

Practical Guidance for Employers:

Immigration policy is forefront in terms of political campaigning as seen from the political parties and the news.  This is likely to lead to change to policy and law surrounding visas and part of this was seen in this case.   The Tribunal finding that an increase in the salary threshold meant that it would constitute some other substantial reason for having to make a decision to dismiss.   It was interesting that this company could provide the opportunity to relocate to the Republic of Ireland and it may be something that has to be considered with cross-border operations in Northern Ireland should there be changes which affect individual employees.

Read the Review in full: Dhakal v Fintru Ltd [2026]

Duncan v Allen t/a Allen’s Tours [2026] NIIT 37299/23

Summary Description: 

Claimant constructively dismissed when the respondent unilaterally suspended her without pay due to perceived personal issues.

Claimant: 

Tina Elizabeth Duncan

Respondent: 

Benn Allen t/a Allen’s Tours

Practical Guidance for Employers:

This case stemmed from the lack of process regarding a suspension without pay.   The use of suspension without pay is alarming to begin with but the subsequent lack of communication from the respondent put the claimant in a very difficult position.  As a result, the Tribunal easily found that there had been a fundamental breach of contract due to the unilateral action in suspending the claimant.

Read the Review in full: Duncan v Allen t/a Allen’s Tours [2026]

Back to Top 

These case reviews were written by Jason Elliott BL.  NI Tribunal decisions are available on the OITFET website.

If you have any queries or wish to comment on the reports please feel free to contact Jason at: jasondelliott@outlook.com 

Jason Elliott was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2013 and is the Associate Head of School of Law at Ulster University. As a practising barrister, he has developed a largely civil practice representing individuals, companies and public bodies in litigation.  This covers a wide range of areas including personal injuries, wills and employment law. In terms of employment law, he has represented both applicants and respondents in the Industrial Tribunal.   At Ulster University, Jason lectures extensively on the civil areas of practise such as Equity and Trusts and delivers employment law lectures for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Remember: Our case law reviews are held in our case law section on our fully-searchable employment law hub website.

Back to Top 

Could a digital twin make you into a 'superworker'?

"Digital Richard" is the AI twin Richard Skellett has been building for the past three years. Bound within the confines of a screen, Digital Richard looks largely two dimensional, but he's no ordinary chatbot. Digital Richard knows everything Skellett knows. He was built as a small language model which used ChatGPT to digest all of Richard's meetings, calls, documents, presentations and more. It was then refined to follow Skellett's way of thinking and problem solving. More from the BBC.

Nine out of 10 firms have regretted AI-led job cuts

More than nine out of 10 HR leaders (91%) say their organisation has subsequently regretted redundancies undertaken over the past year because of the introduction of AI, and is now quietly rebuilding its physical workforce. The poll of 600 HR professionals for Careerminds UK also found 73% of companies had not even broken even after making their redundancies. More. 

Are we facing a zombie apocalypse at work?

If you’ve ever watched The Walking Dead, you’ll know the signs: glazed eyes, repetitive behaviour, and a tendency to follow rather than think. Now, swap the apocalyptic wasteland for the modern workplace—and the zombies might be sitting a few desks away. Welcome to the age of the “AI zombie.” These are the employees outsourcing everything to AI—from strategy decks to Slack replies to birthday messages. Efficient? Sure. Under the surface, something more troubling is happening: people are slowly losing the ability to think for themselves. More from HR Director.

AI is making HR decisions, but can you explain them?

As HR teams make increasing use of AI tools to support them in everything from hiring to management reports, how can they ensure these algorithmic decisions are not running away from them? Raj Jones explains how ‘algorithmic inclusion debt’ could be putting organisations at risk. Read more.

AI for HR Weekly Podcast with Barry Phillips 🎙️

Hub subscribers are beginning to request that our Chairman, Barry covers a particular AI topic in a future podcast. If you have a request, send it to him directly at barry@legal-island.com - he’ll feel like a DJ from the 80s…...🎧

You can tune into the latest episode right here - or, if you’re on the move, why not take us with you?

Listen on all major platforms: 🎧 Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Simply search for “AI for HR Weekly Podcast” and enjoy expert insights anytime, anywhere.

Back to Top 

Skill Builder for HR: TUPE Management 

📅Thursday 23rd April 2026
⏰12:30 - 14:00 ( 1 hour 30 mins )
📍Online

Part of the Skill Builder for HR series, this 90-minute practical session is designed for HR professionals managing diverse ways of working across their organisations. Join Gareth Walls, Partner and Head of Employment Group at A&L Goodbody (NI) LLP and self-confessed TUPE ‘geek’ as he shares practical insights into managing TUPE transfers.

More here.

Legal Island Employment Law Hub Members receive two FREE Skill builder places*

*As part of their subscription - worth £270. T&Cs apply.

Find out more about all the upcoming Skill Builder for HR sessions HERE. 

Back to Top 

Business leaders urge Stormont to delay workers' rights reforms

Northern Ireland business leaders have urged the executive to delay major reforms to workers' rights. They say there will not be enough time to properly scrutinise the employment law changes before next year's assembly election. In a letter to ministers they also raised the potential negative impacts on job creation and investment. The Good Jobs Bill, first announced in 2024, would give workers a range of enhanced rights including an effective ban on zero hour contracts. More from the BBC. 

And here is the ICTU’s view…

Business groups mistaken to oppose Good Jobs legislation, say unions

The letter from some business lobby groups calling on the Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald to walk away from her flagship Good Jobs Bill is based on little evidence and few specific objections to the most comprehensive updating of employment law in a generation. This legislation has been in train for over two years since the return of devolution in February 2024. If this is not the time to push through legislation which is expressly supported by a clear majority of MLAs and Executive parties, when is? The full statement is available here.

Back to Top 

Healthcare recruitment company says gardai probing ‘cyber security incident’

A healthcare recruitment company with bases in Belfast and Dublin has said it was “the victim of a cyber security incident”. Healthdaq said the incident has been reported to the relevant regulatory and law enforcement authorities including the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau. Belfast Live has more on this.

Back to Top 

Job Evaluation –practices that carry risk

Pay transparency is no longer a future consideration. For HR leaders in the UK and Europe, it is an immediate governance challenge and the mechanism sitting at the heart of that challenge is one that many organisations have not meaningfully revisited in years. This article from HR Director looks at the risks from common practices like market benchmarking. More here. 

Back to Top 

This Thing Called Work - Celebrating 50 years of the LRA with former Chair Jim McCusker

'This Thing Called Work' series sees former Chair of the LRA, Jim McCusker join current Chief Executive Mark McAllister to look back at the history of the organisation and labour relations in Northern Ireland, as well as Jim's time as Chair. Listen here. 

Back to Top 

The Employment Law Hub is a comprehensive, jurisdiction-specific resource designed for HR professionals, legal advisors, and business leaders. It centralises essential employment law and HR updates, expertly curated and written by leading HR and legal specialists to provide reliable, practical, and authoritative insights. We have over 700+ in depth articles and 1000+ case law reviews. As a subscriber, you have access to all of this. Check it out the full Hub here and below are some recent articles you may have missed.....

This Month’s Q&A: workplace rights on monitoring, notice and maternity leave

This month’s Q&A from Madison Bowyer, Associate in the Employment Law Group of Arthur Cox NI, explores key employment law questions on workplace monitoring, dismissal notice periods and maternity leave return requirements, offering clear guidance on employer obligations and employee rights under Northern Ireland law.

Q&A: Do employers have the right to monitor the devices of employees who are working remotely?

Q&A: How much notice is an employee entitled to when they are dismissed?

Q&A: Is it compulsory for an employee to give their employer 8 weeks’ notice, should they wish to return to work early from maternity leave?

Back to Top 

What are the risks of withdrawing a job offer?

Amit Kapoor examines a recent decision by the Employment Appeal Tribunal, which ruled that an offer of employment can constitute a binding contract. Employers frequently make job offers subject to certain conditions – typically satisfactory references, right-to-work checks and successful completion of probation. Read in full.

Job Evaluation – Common Practices that feel compliant but carry real risk

Most organisations have a job evaluation scheme. Few could explain, clearly and credibly, how any role was valued or demonstrate that their methodology is free from structural bias. With the EU Pay Transparency Directive coming into force in 2026, that gap is about to become significantly more expensive to ignore. HR Director has the full story.

Back to Top 

The BBC has announced that it will cut between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs over the next two years as it attempts to find cost savings. The broadcaster, which employs around 21,500 full-time staff, said it faces “growing financial pressures” which have crystallised into a £500 million “savings challenge”. More.

Ulster University is set to make up to 450 staff redundant. Staff were informed of the potential job cuts at a meeting held by the vice-chancellor, Prof Paul Bartholomew, on Wednesday. Staff were told that the university hoped to achieve the job cuts through voluntary redundancies, but compulsory redundancies could not be ruled out. The university currently employs about 3,100 staff. More from the BBC.

An NHS trust has settled its high-profile tribunal case with Jennifer Melle, the nurse who was disciplined for misgendering a paedophile prisoner who wanted to identify as a woman. Melle has claimed victory in her case against Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, which was due to be heard at Croydon employment tribunal from today, where she was pursuing claims for harassment, discrimination, victimisation, and breaches of her freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Read more.

Dan Walker’s former co-anchor at Channel 5, Claudia–Liza Vanderpuije, has accused the broadcaster of a ‘toxic culture’ in the newsroom. The 49-year-old Strictly Come Dancing star has been named in the claims, along with ITN, which makes Channel 5 News, and Channel 5 owner Paramount. The former BBC Breakfast presenter is accused of sexism, misogyny and bullying by Vanderpuije. He denies all the allegations. More from Metro.

A worker who was owed more than 800 days of annual leave has been awarded more than £400,000 at tribunal. Mossadek Ageli worked at property management company Sabtina as deputy managing director and then commercial manager. He began working there in 1987, when he was told his entitlement was 30 days’ leave per year. Read more.

Back to Top 

NB: Please note these articles relate to GB and do not apply in Northern Ireland, unless otherwise stated.

Consultation launched on NDA ban in GB

The government has opened a consultation on measures in the Employment Rights Act that will prevent the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in cases of workplace harassment and discrimination. The consultation will consider the conditions that need to be met for an NDA to still be valid (known as an ‘excepted agreement’) in such cases – for example, if an employee requests the NDA or if they have received independent advice on its contents. More from Personnel Today.

GB EHRC amends code of practice ready for approval

The Equality and Human Rights Commission in England & Wales, having received feedback from the government, has amended its updated code of practice for services, public functions and associations and submitted it for approval. It means that, one year after the landmark Supreme Court ruling that the definition of “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 means biological sex, a new EHRC code of practice appears likely to come into force around July 2026 – assuming it is not challenged in Parliament. Catch up.

Back to Top 

REC’s Neil Carberry to head up CIPD

The CIPD has today announced the appointment of Neil Carberry as its next chief executive. He will take up the role on 28 September 2026. Carberry has been chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) since 2018. He was recently appointed to the advisory board of the government’s Fair Work Agency as an employer member. Read in full.

Back to Top 

Employment Law at 11

Our regular webinar will return in May. Got a topic you'd like Seamus and Christine to discuss? Drop us a line at gosia@legal-island.com or contact Seamus or Christine on LinkedIn.

📅 Friday 8th May 2026

🕒 11am to 11.45am

📍 Live online | Free to attend

REGISTER HERE

Can't wait until then? Catch up with the last webinar here:

Miscarriage & Bereavement in the Workplace

NEW LEGISLATION ALERT: In our March instalment of Employment Law at 11 Seamus McGranaghan of O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors and Christine Quinn of Legal Island, gave us a guide to paid miscarriage leave in Northern Ireland, coming into effect in April 2026, and broader guidance on supporting employees through bereavement. They cover statutory entitlements, policy considerations, and best practices for compassionate workplace support, helping employers navigate these sensitive situations with confidence.

Enjoy your weekend!

Legal Island

Back to Top