Employment law stories in the news this week – 06.01.2014 to 12.01.2014

In 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 stories that have made the headlines between 6 January and 12 January 2014. This includes George Obsorne’s comments on an increase in the national minimum wage, a partially-blind worker who is making a claim for unfair dismissal, and a business which has been prevented from appealing an Employment Tribunal judgment

  1. Osborne refuses to back inflation-busting minimum wage rise plan – Britain’s chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne is facing pressure from his own party to deliver an inflation-busting rise in the minimum wage in the face of business opposition, as the Conservatives try to win back working-class votes (The Financial Times)
  2. Partially-blind health worker claims unfair dismissal – A partially-blind former health worker claimed he was sacked after raising safety concerns over an NHS trust’s decontamination unit (The Birmingham Mail)
  3. Lib Dems accuse Tories of ‘nicking’ party’s policy on low wages – The Liberal Democrats on Tuesday accused the Tories of “nicking” their ideas after Iain Duncan Smith joined forces with supporters of George Osborne to press for a noticeable increase in the national minimum wage (The Guardian)
  4. School chaplain dismissed for gay marriage views – A chaplain at a Glasgow school has been removed from his post after he described homosexuality as a “perversion” and a “disorder”. The Rev Donald Michael MacInnes made the comments on a Facebook page that was read by parents of pupils who attend the Glasgow Gaelic School (The Scotsman)
  5. Hospital worker faces dismissal for inappropriate tweeting as ‘Sir Cockhardt’ – A hospital worker may be declared unfit to practise medicine after a series of messages sent through Twitter came to light (Kevin Poulter)
  6. Nurse at Savile hospital ‘asked to spank student’ and ‘joked about necrophilia’ – A nurse at the hospital where Jimmy Savile abused dozens of victims asked a student to sign up for spanking, a tribunal has heard (The Metro)
  7. Former Fife labourer’s unfair dismissal claim rejected – An ex-joinery labourer lost his claim of unfair dismissal when an employment tribunal ruled his employers had not breached his contract of employment (The Courier)
  8. NHS Direct warns 500 staff they could face redundancy – NHS Direct has warned 500 of its staff that they are at risk of redundancy in March, as the telephone helpline closes down. In October NHS Direct announced they would cease operations entirely at the end of March 2014, and the company sent letters to staff on Monday warning them that they had three months to find alternative employment (Pulse Today)
  9. TV presenter was sexually harassed but not unfairly dismissed – A TV who alleged she was called offensive, sexual names on her earpiece as a “distraction joke” by her camera crew as she conducted a live TV show, responded with a finger gesture – and was later sacked (The Redditch & Alcester Advertiser)
  10. Plea for more time to make an appeal is refused – The Glassblowing House Ltd has been refused an extension of time to appeal the decision of an Employment Tribunal which ordered it to pay £60,000 to a former employee (The Plymouth Herald)