Employment law stories in the news – 25.05.2015 to 31.05.2015

redmans-blog-newsIn the latest of our series of posts on employment law stories in the news, we take a look at ten employment law stories that have made the news between 25 May and 31 May 2015

  1. Employment tribunal costs could prevent hearing for aggrieved ex-NHS worker – A man who claims he unfairly lost his job with a Sheffield NHS health trust says the cost of employment tribunals means his case may never be heard. Marc Ewen is in the process of taking action against Sheffield Health & Social Care Trust, who he worked for last year (The Star)
  2. Paper shredding company fined after worker suffers severe hand injuries – Shred-it Limited, of Foresters Green, Trafford Park, Manchester pleaded guilty to safety failings after an new employee was injured by a shredding machine. The company appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court and was fined £18,000 with costs of £1,375 and a victim surcharge of £120 for breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSE)
  3. Redundancies made at Buckingham Palace as Queen tries to cut costs – Cost-cutting measures at Buckingham Palace have led to staff being made redundant, and sources inside the palace say that morale is at rock-bottom. At least four members of senior, long-serving staff are believed to have had their jobs axed in the last few months, and reportedly face losing their Royal Household-provided homes (The Independent)
  4. Jewish woman wins £16,000 payout from car firm hire that turned her down for a job because she can’t work on Saturdays – A Jewish woman has won a £16,000 payout from a travel agent that rejected her for a job because she is unable to work on Saturdays. Aurelie Fhima, 23, sent her CV to Travel Jigsaw in Manchester and secured an interview (The Daily Mail)
  5. Policewoman who said her boss told her ‘mothers should be at home with their children’ to receive payout worth thousands – A former police sergeant who said her boss told her ‘mothers should be at home with their children’ is expected to receive a payout worth thousands of pounds.  Sarah Jay, 41, claimed she resigned from her dream job at Essex Police in 2014 because the force allegedly ‘bullied’ her, left her depressed and made it difficult to be a single mother (The Daily Mail)
  6. Paper company in court – A Swanley firm that makes paper products has been prosecuted for allowing workers to bypass interlocked guards on machinery after one employee trapped his hand. The Swan Mill Paper Company Ltd were aware that engineers would use interlock keys to override the guarding on machines for the purpose of diagnosing faults (HSE)
  7. Jeremy Clarkson given another £1million payout by BBC for Top Gear rights after sacking – Jeremy Clarkson has been given another £1million payout by the BBC for the rights to Top Gear, it has been reported. The former Top Gear host, who was sacked by the corporation after punching a producer on set, enjoyed the windfall after his company Bedder 6 agreed to sell its stake in the popular motoring show for £15million (The Evening Standard)
  8. Treasury to cap public sector redundancy payments at below £100k – Further steps to limit the redundancy payments made to senior public sector staff have been announced by the Treasury, with legislation now set to outlaw six-figure payouts. Chancellor George Osborne and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands said that the government’s forthcoming Enterprise Bill, announced in the Queen’s Speech, would cap any redundancy deals for public sector staff to under £100,000 (Public Finance)
  9. Exclusivity clauses in zero hour contracts banned from today – New rules banning exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts come into effect today, stopping employers from preventing hourly staff from working for another employer. The new provisions were first introduced under the last government, and championed by former business secretary Vince Cable. They were passed into law under the small business, enterprise and employment bill, which comes into force today (City AM)
  10. Carcraft workers take legal action after collapse – Former staff of the nationwide used car dealership Carcraft, which had a branch in Wednesbury, are looking to mount a group employment action against the business. The firm’s 500 employees across England and Wales, including 60 in the Black Country, were made redundant immediately after the firm went into administration at the end of April (The Express and Star)