Discrimination against Part-Time Workers: Augustine v Data Cars Ltd

Abstract

In Augustine v Data Cars Ltd [2026] UKSC 30, the UK Supreme Court held that, in claims for discrimination against part-time workers, the causation test is whether part-time status was ‘an effective cause’ of less favourable treatment. Workers are not required to show that their part-time status was the ‘sole cause’ of the less favourable treatment. In practice, the Court’s decision means that more disputes will turn on whether discrimination against part-time workers can be justified. More broadly, the judgment illustrates how the Supreme Court’s approach to statutory interpretation can be tailored to the specific context of employment law.