Quasi-legal obligation?

[TequilaMockinBird]

Can anybody tell me in very simple terms what a quasi-legal obligation is?

If the context matters at all, I'm waiting on a document coming back from the HR department at work and I'm told that they have a quasi-legal obligation to send it back within a given timescale.

TIA

I'm intrigued by the term but in employment law there are occasions where an employer is obliged to do things within a 'reasonable' timescale, could that be it?

I'm not sure really flowery!

It's all to do with an equal pay grievance and the fact that the company aren't taking it seriously.

We (the union and I) put an equal-pay questionnaire into HR a few weeks ago now and I'm not convinced they will even take this seriously!

However, I was told that they really should return it by next week as they have a 'quasi-legal obligation' to do so.

I'm just intrigued by the term, I tried googling it but couldn't really find anything that my tired, blonde braincells could fathom out!

quasi means "as if". So they may not have a formally stated legal obligation to send it back to you within a particular timescale, but in practice if the issue ever came up before a court or a tribunal it would look badly on them if they hadn't. If you can follow that! I'm sure a better wordsmith will come along who can explain it more succinctly.

Aha. Ok then. Have a read here the Equality Human Rights website, the page I'm linking to is for legal advisers but it's fairly user-friendly. You will see that technically they don't have to respond but they would be daft not to...

Thank you so much both, yes it all makes sense now!

Flowery, there's some excellent information on that website re equal pay aswell, will bookmark it and read the case summary later when DD is in bed!

fab site isn't it? Good luck with your claim

Thanks, think I'll need it - it's been going on a year now

Fingers crossed it won't go on much longer though!

Just an update incase flowery is around...

The time limit for the equal pay questionnaire was up a couple of weeks ago and I still hadnt heard anything so decided to chase.

After a call to the Director of HR, he stated that he hadnt actually done anything with it and that there was still a hard copy lying on his desk and a soft copy sat untouched in his inbox

After speaking to the union, they rang the company solicitors who are apparently furious about this and very embarrassed that this guy has chosen to basically ignore it!

Not sure if this has helped my case but they've now decided that I do have a case for equal pay and we're now throwing settlement figures back and forth until I get what I'm owed! ... This could go on a while though I think judging by what they've offered so far!