Employment law stories in the news – 26.10.2015 to 01.11.2015

redmans-blog-newsIn the latest of our series of posts on employment law stories in the news, we examine ten employment law stories that have made headlines between 26 October 2015 and 1 November 2015

  1. Worker fatally injured falling through fragile roof – A self-employed worker was fined when a casual worker he employed to repair a shed roof fell and was fatally injured. Ayr Sheriff Court heard how on 26 August 2012, William Sproat, 63, from Patna, Ayshire, had been employed by David William McVey to repair a storm damaged shed roof at Brunton Farm, New Crummnock owned by William and Allison Nairn (HSE)
  2. Company alarm at order to publish gap in male and female pay – A government decision to force employers to disclose the pay difference between male and female staff is sending shivers through the boardrooms of corporate Britain, with some fearful of big lawsuits from female employees (Financial Times)
  3. Six million workers paid ‘less than the living wage’ – Almost six million workers in the UK are paid less than the living wage, a study suggests. The data showed a “worrying trend” of part-time, female and young workers being most likely to earn below the figure, researchers found (BBC)
  4. Eva Carneiro to claim for constructive dismissal against Chelsea – Lawyers acting for the former Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro have served notice on the club that she intends to bring a claim for constructive dismissal, having failed as yet to agree a severance package following her departure last month (The Guardian)
  5. Waste and Recycling firm fined £100,000 after worker suffers multiple arm fractures – Waste and recycling company F&R Cawley Limited has been prosecuted after a worker suffered serious fractures when his arm was dragged into the rollers of a moving conveyor belt. The 32-year-old employee was working at the firm’s Covent Garden Close site on 28 February 2014 when he was asked to clear a blockage on a material recycling facility machine (HSE)
  6. Davies report says no more all-male boards on FTSE 100 – UK top companies have reached a “major milestone” in increasing the number of women in their boardrooms, but more needs to be done, a report says. There are no more all male board in FTSE 100 companies says the report’s author, former trade minister Lord Davies (BBC)
  7. Nicky Morgan backs target to give women more powerful roles in boardrooms – Cabinet minister Nicky Morgan today backed a new target to boost the number of women in top company boardrooms after a report revealed slow progress in promoting them into key decision-making jobs. The equalities minister told the Standard that success increasing the overall number of female directors on FTSE 100 boards proved setting voluntary targets “concentrates minds” (The Evening Standard)
  8. Low-paid Fife Council workers win equal pay settlement – A multi-million pound settlement has been reached with Fife Council for about 2,000 workers – mainly low paid women – over equal pay claims. The council said it had reached agreement on the historical equal pay claims, without the need for court action (BBC)
  9. Morrisons to be sued by 2,000 staff – More than 2,000 staff at Morrisons are to sue the supermarket chain after some of their personal and financial details were posted online. The leak happened when a company auditor uploaded details of almost 100,000 staff to various file-sharing websites in 2013 (BBC)
  10. Inquiry into how £60k bullying claim led to £1.5m damages award – An investigation has been launched into how a council let a £60,000 compensation case escalate into a damages award of £1.5m. Karen Hall claimed she was bullied while working at West Cornforth Primary School, County Durham – suffering headteacher Janet Sarsfield twisting her arm and having had a ball thrown at her in front of her class in 2004 (The Northern Echo)