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Law360: Women who were affected by the government's failure to inform them that their retirement age had changed are owed compensation for the failings of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), according to a much-anticipated report released 21 March 2024 by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

TMT analysis: The High Court has issued a preliminary ruling regarding the meaning of words contained in a credit report and whether these are defamatory at common law. The court held that the majority of the words complained of were factual and that an inferential statement arising out of the facts therein was opinion. The argument that the wording meant that the claimant’s creditworthiness was ‘poor’ was specifically rejected.

The Work Rights Centre and the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA) have called on the Home Secretary to reverse changes to the Ukraine Schemes and the Health and Care Worker visa. Following the government announcement on 19 February 2024 that the Ukraine Family Scheme would close with immediate effect and the eligibility criteria for sponsors under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme would be tightened, the organisations have written to the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee to argue that the changes should be annulled because ministers broke parliamentary procedure to bring in changes to Ukraine Schemes with a 21-day consultation period. The letter also raises concerns that announced changes to the Health and Care Worker visa route, which will stop care workers from bringing dependants from 11 March, will make migrant care workers more vulnerable to exploitation as they often rely on financial stability provided by dependants. They argue that these changes should have been subject to consultation.

The Work Rights Centre has published a detailed analysis criticising the UK government's proposed immigration settlement reforms, describing them as ‘an extraordinary betrayal of migrant communities.’ The proposals introduce an ‘earned settlement’ model that significantly increases the baseline qualifying period from five to ten years.

The Work Rights Centre (WRC) has published research indicating that government-funded ‘International Recruitment Partnerships’ (or hubs) designed to help exploited migrant care workers secure new sponsors are not effectively preventing exploitation. Despite the establishment of 15 hubs, Freedom of Information Requests have revealed that only 3.4% of affected workers found new sponsors. Research carried out by the WRC indicates that the initiative has been  hindered by high visa costs, inflexible visa rules and a lack of employer willingness to take on new hires under these constraints. The Health and Care Worker visa’s rigid structure clashes with the realities of the care sector, especially in domiciliary care, where zero-hours contracts are common. The report states that many workers also lacked the resources to renew visas or meet job requirements like driving licenses, leaving them stranded and vulnerable.

The Work Rights Centre (WoRC) has published a report highlighting the significant challenges faced by migrant workers in England's adult social care sector. The study, based on interviews and survey responses from migrant care workers, reveals widespread dissatisfaction with working conditions, including unsustainable hours, low pay, and persistent employment rights breaches. The report also exposes the vulnerabilities of workers on the Health and Care Worker visa, introduced post-Brexit, which acts to tie migrants to their employers. As the government prepares for comprehensive employment rights reform, including the establishment of a Negotiating Body and Fair Pay Agreement for the sector, the WoRC emphasises the need to address migrant-specific issues. The organisation recommends sectoral reforms, such as improving pay and working conditions, and immigration system reforms to empower visa workers to report non-compliance and change employers without fear of retaliation. It is accompanied by analysis by violation Tracker UK which shows that the Home Office granted sponsor licenses to at least 177 companies registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that had a recent record of employment law breaches, including unfair dismissal, unauthorised deductions from wages, and discrimination.

The Work Rights Centre (WoRC) has published a policy briefing warning of the heightened risks of migrant worker exploitation in the UK construction sector, following reforms to the immigration system. The Home Office’s May 2025 Immigration White Paper raised the skill threshold for the Skilled Worker visa and introduced a Temporary Shortage List (TSL) for lower-skilled roles deemed essential to economic growth. Construction has been included on this list, but workers recruited under it face reduced rights as they are barred from bringing dependants, the government currently plans for their access via the TSL to end by 31 December 2026, and routes to settlement are to be restricted. Drawing on extensive casework, the WoRC identifies construction as a sector already marked by exploitation, citing widespread non-payment of wages, false self-employment, lack of contracts, low unionisation, subcontracting chains, and company use of insolvency to avoid liabilities. WoRC notes that these factors have led enforcement bodies to designate construction as a high priority sector for labour market oversight.

Law360: A new report published by the Work and Pensions Committee (Committee) on 24 July 2025 calls on the government to ensure a minimum level of retirement income so that it provides people with the amount needed for a ‘minimum, dignified, socially acceptable standard of living’ and also make it easier for people in retirement to claim benefits when necessary.

The Work and Pensions Committee has published the Disability at Work report, examining the workplace barriers faced by disabled people and the role of employers in reducing disability-related economic inactivity. According to the report, disabled people are disadvantaged by employers’ failure to make reasonable adjustments, including delays, non-responses and uncertainty about what is ‘reasonable’. It also found that many workplaces are often inaccessible by default, especially as a result of recruitment, physical environments, absence management, flexible working and access to assistive technology. The evidence highlights the importance of remote and flexible working, particularly for people with fluctuating conditions, and identifies stigma, discrimination, poor line-manager awareness and lack of confidence among both employers and disabled employees as recurring problems.

The House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee has published the government's response to the committee's earlier report on Defined Benefit (DB) pension schemes and announced a session for 14 May 2025 to question pension industry leaders and finance experts on UK pension fund investments. This comes as the government prepares to introduce a Pensions Scheme Bill before summer 2025, which aims to boost domestic investment. The government has indicated it may mandate levels of investment by pension schemes if voluntary increases are not achieved.

The House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee will hold an oral evidence session on indexation of pre-1997 pension rights and member representation on Wednesday 22 October 2025. This session will explore perspectives from member groups, trustees, professionals, as well as the Pensions Regulator on how historic pension benefits are managed and represented in today’s landscape. This session forms part of the Committee’s ongoing scrutiny of pension fairness and transparency, particularly for members whose pre-1997 defined benefit rights are not subject to statutory inflation protection.