Offshore workers - the House of Lords has ruled in Serco v Lawson.Serco

Someone who does all their work outside the United Kingdom can in some circumstances have an employment relationship allowing an unfair dismissal claim to be made through the UK courts, the House of Lords has ruled in Serco v Lawson.Serco – a UK company – employed Mr Lawson to work as a security operator at the RAF base on Ascension Island (which has no indigenous population). Although all the services were performed overseas, the House of Lords found that the close UK connections of both employee and employer gave Mr Lawson the right to claim.The House of Lords gave guidance about the circumstances in which an employee, either working temporarily overseas, permanently outposted, or ‘peripatetic’ (someone who moves between different countries) should be treated for deciding whether they qualify to bring a UK unfair dismissal claim.

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