EMPLOYMENT LAWYER: 2010 WILL BE THE YEAR OF THE SKIVER.

SAS DANIELS LLP SOLICITORS

PRESS RELEASE

January 15, 2010.

EMPLOYMENT LAWYER: 2010 WILL BE THE YEAR OF THE SKIVER.

A senior employment lawyer says 2010 is already beginning to show all the signs of being “the year of the skiver”.

Jonathan Whittaker, employment partner at SAS Daniels LLP, Cheshire’s biggest law firm, says that employment dispute enquiries to his team are already running higher than normal.

“We’re up around 40% on disputes involving pickled-brain skiving scams in which some utter clots have been caught bang to rights whooping it up down the local social club, or barging round Primark with their Christmas vouchers, while claiming to their employer they’ve been enduring weather conditions Bear Grylls would think twice about tackling,” said Jonathan Whittaker.

“We’re two weeks into the working year, yet some businesses for whom we work are coming to us for advice about how to deal with staff who, in some instances, have not been seen since lunchtime on Friday, December 18, 2009, citing impassable roads, cancelled busses and trains, flat batteries, kids off school, injuries from falls, failed central heating, burst pipes, running errands for elderly or infirm relatives and any manner of wider challenges.

“A precedent is being set. Skiving in 2010 will be inspired by a combination of circumstances: the unexpectedly extended winter break on top of a glum end to 2009 has clearly already established a workshy mindset amongst a minority which looks set to prevail given the still-likely pressures on workers in 2010.

“For many employees, 2009 probably ended with no staff party, no bonus, a pay freeze and constant reminder of the possibility of redundancy, all the while the employer expecting more effort. 2010 is basically starting the same way.

“The questionably-afflicted are sounding more and more like central characters in an episode of EastEnders, with, seemingly, a small minority of the population suffering unusually and curiously high concentrations of back-to-back disasters.

“If I were a friend or neighbour, then I’d go and stand near them – because if a rogue satellite happens to drop out of the sky, then with that minority’s luck it’s sure as heck going to land on them, not you.”

SAS Daniels LLP which has offices in Stockport, Macclesfield, Chester, Congleton and Bramhall.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley or Megan Codling

07788 978800 / 07795 848586

im@pressrelations.co.uk / mc@pressrelations.co.uk / www.sasdaniels.co.uk