Employment law stories in the news – 22.08.2016 to 28.08.2016

redmans-blog-newsIn the latest of our series of posts on employment law stories in the news, we take a look at nine employment law stories that have made the news between 22 August 2016 and 28 August 2016

  1. Slavery reports rise fivefold, Salvation Army says – The Salvation Army says it has seen nearly a fivefold rise in the number of slavery victims it has helped in England and Wales since 2012. The charity says it supported 1,805 people from April 2015 to March 2016 (BBC)
  2. Sacked NHS worker who led secret double life as porn star wins unfair dismissal case – The NHS has been ordered to pay compensation to an admin worker who was sacked after her secret double life as a porn star was exposed. A judge ruled Kathleen Molloy, who used the stage name of Dylan Devere in her X-rated movies, was unfairly dismissed and awarded compensation of nearly £2,000 (The Liverpool Echo)
  3. Deaf workers: one in four has quit a job because of discrimination – One in four workers with hearing loss has been forced to quit a job because of discrimination, according to a survey by totaljobs. The job board’s research found that, although there are more than 11 million people in the UK with some form of hearing loss, the majority of deaf employees have experienced discrimination in the workplace (Personnel Today)
  4. Portadown FC say they will appeal against employment tribunal McMahon wages order – Portadown FC say they will appeal against an employment tribunal decision to order the club to pay £7,000 in unpaid wages to player Peter McMahon. The club said their representative was unable to attend Thursday’s tribunal because of a “long standing engagement” and had requested a postponement (BBC)
  5. Civil nuclear police: Working to 65 ‘physically impossible’ – Representatives of 1,250 armed police officers who protect UK civil nuclear sites have challenged a rule forcing them to work beyond the age of 60. While most UK police can retire at 60, Civil Nuclear Constabulary officers must work until 65 under a new law (BBC)
  6. Firm named for not paying national minimum wage –  The government has named a law firm which it says failed to pay an individual the national minimum wage. A notice posted by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy says Edward Marshall LLP was found to owe £776.50 to a single worker. The notice says the money has since been paid (The Law Society Gazette)
  7. Rise in women facing discrimination on taking maternity leave – New mothers are facing increasing discrimination when they take maternity leave including being made redundant and switched to zero-hours contracts. Citizens Advice has recorded a nearly 60% rise in the number of women seeking advice about maternity leave issues this year. Just over 3,300 came to the charity with such issues in the year to June compared to 2,099 last year (The Guardian)
  8. Roofing firms fined after worker fell to his death – Two roofing companies and one of their directors have been fined after a worker fell to his death through a skylight. Cardiff Crown Court heard how 46 year old Lance Davies, a father of seven, died after falling over seven metres through a roof light at industrial premises in the Crumlin area of South Wales (HSE)
  9. Half of women ‘sexually harassed at work’ – TUC survey – More than half of women say they have been sexually harassed at work and most admit to not reporting it, new research by the TUC suggests. A survey of 1,500 women saw 52% cite the problem and also found a third had been subjected to unwelcome jokes and a quarter experienced unwanted touching (BBC)
  10. Met police breached data protection laws to spy on own officer – Scotland Yard breached data protection laws to spy on one of its own officers while she was on sick leave, it has emerged. Citing a non-existent Act of Parliament, the Metropolitan Police obtained information about a holiday one of its detective constables and her daughter took to the West Indies (The Telegraph)