EMPLOYMENT LAW - 2022/3

Module Overview

This module is intended to provide the students with an understanding of the principles of Employment Law and to develop the ability to apply the relevant legal principles in the context of Human resource management.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

BURNS-PEGLER Debbie (SBS)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• The UK Legal Framework and Employment Law


• European and international perspectives 


• Nature of the employment relationship and the Contract of Employment


• Equality of treatment : sex, race, disability and other discrimination


• Employment protection : pregnancy and maternity/ paternity rights


• Regulation of Pay: entitlements to pay and the equal pay provisions


• Health and Safety in the Workplace


• Termination of the contract: common law provisions and unfair dismissal  under the provisions of the Employment Rights Act 1996


• Redundancy


• Trade unions and the law of industrial action

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Not applicable

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate, all five of the intended module learning outcomes; which is reflected both in its formative and its summative elements.

  Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• An individual written assignment.


• The assignment uses a case study approach to provide the students with an opportunity to use their analytical skills and apply their knowledge and understanding of relevant legal principles to various employment issues and to advise on appropriate organisational responses.


• Students will receive written feedback on the summative assessment.

Formative assessment will take the form of in-class presentations and discussion exercises with in-class tutor feedback. There is also an opportunity to submit a response to a mock assessment question and receive oral feedback.

Module aims

• Provide the key principles that underpin UK and EU employment law
• Give up-to-date and accurate advice concerning the practical application of legal principles at work in different jurisdictions
• Advise organisations on the consequences of current and future developments in employment law

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:  develop the student’s appreciation and application of the legal principles to situational case studies.

The learning and teaching methods include: the use of lectures to introduce the legal principles, supported by seminars designed to develop the students’ appreciation of application of the principle to practical situations.  

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Lectures


• Seminars and class discussion


• Student centred learning methods including group work, problem based learning and presentations.


• Use of differing IT resources and legal databases to underpin student learning. 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MANM004

Other information

The module is designed to meet the Learning Outcomes of the CIPD unit -

7OS01 Advanced Employment Law in Practice

 

1. Understand the legal framework for employment regulation in the UK

- discuss the major sources of employment law and its evolution, including the major employment rights

- explain the role and function of the courts and other institutions responsible for the administration of employment law

- explain employment status and the legal tests used to establish to whom different employment rights apply

- critically evaluate the principles of law in the fields of precedent, vicarious liability and continuity of employment

 

2. Understand regulations that aim to protect employees from unlawful acts of discrimination

- assess the protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act 2010 and its operation

- evaluate the defences that respondents deploy in discrimination cases and remedies

- explain the principles of equal pay law and regulation and pay gap reporting

- assess the management of employment law in respect of specific groups of employees

 

3. Understand law in relation to establishment, alteration and termination of employment contracts

- analyse the principles that underpin the law on different types of employment contracts, including their practical significance for organisations

- debate the principles of the law of wrongful, constructive and unfair dismissal

- examine the test of reasonableness in unfair dismissal law and its practical implications for organisations

- explain the process of complying with the law on redundancy and transfers of undertakings

 

4. Understand compliance in relation to further regulations relevant to major areas of people practice

- explain the law on health and safety at work and personal injury

- discuss the principles underpinning regulation on hours and wages

- explain maternity and parental employment rights, including the requirements of flexible working employment legislation

- evaluate collective employment law and regulations relating to confidentiality at work

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2022/3 academic year.