Employment, Intellectual Property & Data Protection
As we alluded to above, churches need to be aware of their general obligations under the law. Many churches now have several employees and often have not thought of providing them with contracts of employment or the handling of relationships with their employees to avoid being accused of unfair dismissal etc. If a church employs more than a certain number of people, health and safety legislation has to be observed in those parts of the church where the employees work, and their working environment has to be safe. If the church serves more than a certain number of meals in a month, it may have to comply with Food Hygiene Regulations and many churches are operating with woefully outdated kitchens which do not comply with the modern regulations. If the church holds records of its members and staff on a computer or otherwise, it is subject to the data protection legislation. Often matters of copyright law are involved when hymns and music is being copied or architect's plans are being used. Breach of the law in relation to any of these matters can leave church officers with criminal liability.
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