Employment law cases in the news – 11.04.2016 to 17.04.2016

In the latest of our series of posts on employment law cases in the news, we take a look at ten employment law cases that have made the news between 11 April 2016 and 17 April 2016

  1. Three companies fined for safety failings arising from two accidents – Two incidents at the Haverhill site of Jan Cavelle Furniture Company have led to three companies being fined for health and safety failings. Ipswich Crown Court heard how in the first instance an employee of the company sustained serious injuries when operating a biscuit cutter and the rotating blade made contact with his hand, cutting his thumb to the bone (HSE)
  2. Murdered teen’s father unfairly dismissed from charity – The father of murdered teenager Amanda Duffy has been cleared of exploiting a charity he set up in her memory. An employment tribunal ruled Joe Duffy was unfairly dismissed from Hamilton-based charity People Experiencing Trauma and Loss (Petal) (BBC)
  3. Undercover Yorkshire police officers “sidelined after blowing whistle about unsafe practices” – Yorkshire’s biggest police force has been told to pay compensation to two undercover officers who were moved into back office roles after raising concerns about sexism and unsafe practices in their unit. The two police constables were successful in their claim at an employment tribunal that they were sidelined by West Yorkshire Police after exposing wrongdoing at the force (The Yorkshire Evening Post)
  4. ‘Dinosaur’ Leeds United boss faces sexism payout to woman he sacked after she wins employment tribunal against the club – A woman football official wept with relief yesterday as an employment tribunal ruled she was the victim of appalling sexism by the club’s millionaire owner. Lucy Ward, 41, is in line to receive a five-figure compensation payout after winning her claim against Leeds United for unfair dismissal and sex discrimination (The Daily Mail)
  5. Kent police officer wins racial discrimination case against force – A British Asian police officer stationed at Kent police’s outpost near the Channel tunnel entrance at Calais has won a case alleging that the force victimised and racially discriminated against him (The Guardian)
  6. Ryanair pilot loses unfair dismissal action against airline – A sacked Ryanair captain has lost his long-running unfair dismissal action against the airline at the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) (The Irish Times)
  7. Judge dismisses Croydon PE teacher’s claim he was forced to leave job because of bullying – A judge has dismissed a former PE teaching assistant’s claim that “years of bullying” left him no choice but to leave his job. Brett Kitchener had taken Cumnor House School to an employment tribunal claiming unfair constructive dismissal after he alleged he was bullied for years by other PE staff (The Croydon Advertiser)
  8. Bin lorry driver tells of shock at council’s U-turn over his sacking – Two binmen who were sacked over a bitterly disputed drink-at-work row have told how their elation turned to agony when they were dismissed for a second time – just days after a council chief confirmed they had won their jobs back (The Shields Gazette)
  9. Man who filmed himself taking cocaine loses dismissal case – A man who took a Snapchat video of himself snorting cocaine, while wearing a T-shirt from the Dublin restaurant in which he worked, has lost his unfair dismissal case at the Employment Appeals Tribunal (The Irish Times)
  10. Jonas Gutierrez blasts Newcastle owner Mike Ashley after winning case for disability discrimination: ‘You don’t understand the fans or the city… I am a f****** Geordie’ – Jonas Gutierrez singled out Mike Ashley and the Newcastle board in the aftermath of winning his disability discrimination claim and told his former employers: ‘I am a f****** Geordie.’ The 32-year-old midfielder took to Twitter after an employment tribunal found he had been frozen out of the first team following his cancer diagnosis (The Daily Mail)