Employment law cases in the news – 19.09.2016 to 25.09.2016

redmans-blog-newsIn 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 19 September and 25 September 2016

  1. Hemel Hempstead manufacturer fined £1m following worker’s death – A manufacturing company based in Hemel Hempstead has been fined £1million after a worker was crushed to death by falling machinery. Colin Reddish, 48, from Lincolnshire was involved in moving a large CNC milling machine within the company’s Grantham factory on 30th April 2015 when it overturned and killed him (HSE)
  2. Ex-Tennent’s workers take firm to employment tribunal – Three former Tennent’s workers have hit out at the drinks giant after being made “scapegoats” for alleged theft, drinking and smoking at the brewery. Forklift truck drivers Richard Pearson, Terency McPhilemy and James Ferrie were all named by an anonymous whistleblower after bosses at the Glasgow site found cigarette butts and empty beer cans (Herald Scotland)
  3. Midcounties Co-op makes record payout to worker who earned below minimum wage – Britain’s biggest independent co-op has made the highest single payout to a worker for breaching low pay laws and is examining whether 200 others may have been paid below the minimum wage, the Guardian can reveal (The Guardian)
  4. ‘It has been absolutely dreadful’ – Great Yarmouth carer speaks about year-long legal battle after being sacked for whistleblowing – A carer has today spoken about her “dreadful” year-long battle for justice after she was sacked for whistleblowing. Amanda Morling was dismissed by Hilton Community Services last year following a disclosure about the alleged treatment of a vulnerable resident (The Norwich Evening News)
  5. Premier Inn fined for ageist sacking – The Premier Inn hotel chain was ordered to cough up £64,000 in compensation yesterday after sacking a woman because of her age. Bosses at the Hampstead Premier Inn in north London were found by an employment tribunal to have used spurious grounds to sack Marissa Terraneo, 69 (The People’s Daily Morning Star)
  6. Supreme Court to hear appeal in pension fund transfer case – The Supreme Court has given permission for a claimant to appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal to uphold the Employment Appeal Tribunal’s rejection of his claim for discrimination (The Scottish Legal News)
  7. Star company of BBC series prosecuted over worker injury – A Bolton based scrapyard that featured in a recent BBC documentary series has been sentenced after an employee suffered facial injuries at work. Vehicle breakers firm, The Scrappers Ltd and Terry Walker, a consultant for the company, appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester where they denied breaches of health and safety law (HSE)
  8. Worker unfairly dismissed from job, rules Employment Tribunal – A former cafe worker who had to sleep in his car for three weeks after being unfairly dismissed by his employers has won nearly £9,000 in compensation. Sheriff Bajo, 36, of Menzieshill, was an assistant manager at Pret A Manger in St Andrews in 2015, having worked his way up the ladder after arriving in Britain from Gambia in 2010 (thetele.co.uk)
  9. Chef wins €25,000 in unfair dismissal case – An award-winning Indian takeaway chain in Dublin has been ordered to pay a former chef €25,000 in compensation after the Labour Court ruled that he was unfairly sacked. The conduct of representatives for Bombay Pantry, including the chief executive of an HR and recruitment consultancy, was also sharply criticised by the court and some witnesses were described as evasive and wholly lacking credibility (The Times)
  10. BBC journalist who was sacked after he refused to publish a report on Prince George’s birth wins a £50,000 payout for unfair dismissal – A BBC journalist sacked after he refused to publish a report on Prince George’s birth has won a £50,000 payout. Chandana Keerthi Bandara, 57, lost his job as a producer on a BBC Sri Lankan news service, and sued the corporation for unfair dismissal and race discrimination (The Mail Online)