Employment law stories in the news – 28.10.2013 to 03.11.2013

MoJIn the latest of our series of posts on employment law stories in the news this week, we take a look at a number of employment law-related stories that have hit the headlines since 28 October 2013, including a new Government apprenticeship scheme, a new Labour policy regarding tax rebates for firms and a timber firm that has been fined after a worker lost a hand in an injury at work

  1. Prime Minister announces “new era of apprenticeships” and new training scheme for young people – David Cameron has announced a new work training scheme for young people under which employers will have a greater say regarding workers’ education and the process will be radically simplified (Politics Home)
  2. Labour announces new policy regarding tax rebate for firms that pay the minimum wage – Firms that agree to pay their workers the living wage will be allowed to apply for a tax rebate of up to £1,000 per worker, under plans announced by Labour leader Ed Miliband (The Independent)
  3. £200,000 pay-off for NHS managers under Government’s health reforms – At least four managers whose positions have been made redundant under the Government’s flagship health reforms have received payoffs of more than £200,000, it has emerged. A number of primary care trusts made the payments before they were abolished earlier this year (The Evening Standard)
  4. Ambulance service boss entitled to receive redundancy payment of half a million pounds – it has been reported that the East of England Ambulance Service chief executive is contractually entitled to receive a redundancy payment of almost half a million pounds. The revelations came in the final report of the NHS Norfolk Primary Care Trust came in the wake of it being wound up earlier this year (EDP24)
  5. Employment Appeal Tribunal rules that embassy immunity is trumped by workers’ human rights – the Employment Appeal Tribunal has, in a potentially “landmark” ruling, found that legal immunity from civil lawsuits should be removed where this would mean that a worker’s human rights were breached (The Evening Standard)
  6. Firm pleads guilty to corporate manslaughter after worker dies in accident at work – a County down company has pleaded guilty to the corporate manslaughter of one of its employees after a worker dies by being dragged into an animal feed mixing machine (BBC)
  7. Royal Mail worker wins claim for discrimination in the Employment Tribunal – an Asian Royal Mail worker who was subject to a concerted campaign of abuse and harassment from his colleagues has won his Employment Tribunal claim  for discrimination and harassment (Minority Perspective)
  8. Government fail to overturn Poundland work scheme ruling – The government has lost a Supreme Court appeal over a ruling its flagship “back to work” schemes were legally flawed. Ministers failed in a bid to overturn an earlier ruling that regulations underpinning the schemes were invalid (BBC)
  9. Big Fat Gypsy Wedding dressmaker makes Employment Tribunal claim for unfair dismissal – a dressmaker on the popular television show Big Fat Gypsy Weddings has made a claim for unfair dismissal in the Employment Tribunal after she was sacked last year (The Mirror)
  10. Timber firm found guilty of health and safety breaches after worker loses hand – a Lancaster timber firm has been fined by the Magistrates’ Court after it was found that health and safety breaches led to serious injuries to a worker (HSE)