Employment law cases in the news – 22.12.2014 to 28.12.2014

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 22 December and 28 December 2014

  1. Jaguar Land Rover prosecuted over worker’s ‘horrific’ injuries – Jaguar Land Rover Ltd has been fined for safety breaches after an employee suffered life-threatening crush injuries when he was dragged into inadequately guarded machinery (HSE)
  2. Directors fined after young worker crushed by dumper – A 20-year-old man died on his first day at work for a new company when the four-tonne dumper he was driving toppled over a bank and crushed him. Daniel Whiston, from Dulverton, was allowed to drive the dumper, which had a number of serious defects, before it overturned down the embankment at Sweetings Farm, near Tiverton, on 27 October 2009 (HSE)
  3. BBC spends £800,000 settling unfair dismissal claims – The BBC has spent more than £800,000 settling nearly 50 claims of unfair dismissal over the past 10 years, a Freedom of Information Act request has revealed (Broadcast Now)
  4. Bristol Council apologises to teacher who had claim for racial discrimination upheld by employment tribunal – A teacher who had a claim for racial discrimination against his school upheld by an employment tribunal has received an apology from the city council for appointing his former boss as a consultant (Bristol Post)
  5. 21-stone man wins job case – A British man won a landmark case against the company that dismissed him, after a High Court judge ruled the effects of obesity can be classed as a disability. John Walker, 49, weighed more than 21 stone when he lost his job as an IT manager. He was sacked after spending seven years off work with a plethora of ailments including asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue and knee problems (The Sunday Times)
  6. Recycling company in court after worker fell from conveyor belt – A Lincolnshire metal recycling firm has been prosecuted for safety breaches after a worker was left with broken ribs when he fell from a sloping conveyor belt. The worker, 49, from Deeping St Nicholas in Lincolnshire, suffered multiple rib fractures following the incident at BW Riddle in Bourne on 7 February, 2013 (HSE)
  7. Union drops case for costs against pro-Israel academic – The University and College Union has dropped its costs application against an academic who lost a high-profile harassment case against it. Academic Ronnie Fraser took the union to an employment tribunal in a landmark case but the tribunal concluded last April his claim that, as a Jew, he suffered harassment as a result of the union’s activities, were “manifestly unmeritorious” (Jewish News)
  8. Collapsed law firm Blakemores gave staff 30 minutes to leave office – A 50-year-old Birmingham law firm which collapsed gave employees just 30 minutes notice to leave the building, a tribunal was told. One worker who was on maternity leave only found out about the closure when a friend told her, and another, in the middle of a court case, was told mid-session she no longer had a job (The Birmingham Post)
  9. Ex-News of the World journalists given go ahead to sue for unfair dismissal – Two former News of the World journalists who were jailed for hacking the phones of politicians and celebrities have been given the go ahead to sue Rupert Murdoch’s publishing company for unfair dismissal (The Guardian)
  10. Sacked Walsall Council boss has unfair dismissal claim rejected by tribunal judge – An employment tribunal judge has ruled that Walsall Council’s former social care boss was not unfairly dismissed, the authority has revealed. Paul Davies was sacked from his role as executive director for social care and inclusion on March 25 this year (Walsall Advertiser)