Employment law stories in the news – 29.01.2018 to 04.02.2018

In 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 headlines between 29 January 2018 and 4 February 2018

  1. Gay UK diplomat wins landmark case after he was fired when he took adoptive leave – A gay diplomat has won a landmark case after he was dismissed from his job when he sought adoptive leave. Richard Porter, who was posted to Sao Paolo to work as a diplomat for the Department of Trade, was fired after just 19 weeks when he requested leave to look after his newly adopted son (Pink News)
  2. New Stonewall research exposes the profound discrimination trans people face – New research from Stonewall focusing on the experiences of 870 trans and non-binary people by YouGov, reveals the daily discrimination faced by trans people. The report reveals that 12% of trans employees have been physically attacked by a colleague or customer in the last year and 51% of trans people have hidden their identity at work for fear of discrimination (The HR Director)
  3. Charity urges employment law tightening to protect interns – An education charity has called for unpaid internships that last more than a month to be banned as it accuses employers of exploting a ‘lack of clarity’ in the law. In a report published today the Sutton Trust says interns should be paid at least the minimum wage (£7.05 per hour for 21-24 year olds, or £7.50 for over 25s) or preferably the living wage of £8.75 (£10.20, in London) if an internship lasts longer than four weeks (The Law Society Gazette)
  4. Skip hire company fined after lorry driver fatally crushed – A skip hire company has been fined after a lorry driver was fatally crushed between two vehicles. Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 4 November 2015, Beverley Upton, an employee of MAC Skip Hire Limited, was crushed between her lorry and the bucket of a shovel loader while it was being loaded. They had been trying to remove some overhanging waste when the incident happened (HSE)
  5. Cop who claims he was victimised by police bosses loses 900k damages bid – A police officer who accused his bosses of victimisation has lost a long-running £900,000 damages action. PC Andrew Reid claims he was targeted by senior figures at Police Scotland after complaining about the actions of the controversial Counter Corruption Unit (The Daily Record)
  6. Gay priest in Appeal Court fight against bishop over discrimination claims – A gay priest who was prevented from working as a hospital chaplain after marrying his partner has urged senior judges to find he suffered discrimination. Canon Jeremy Pemberton, a Church of England (C of E) priest for more than 30 years, had his permission to officiate revoked after he married Laurence Cunnington in April 2014 (The Daily Mail)
  7. Bank giants make up for lack of listed firms on LGBT employers list – Legal and banking giants were on Wednesday named among the most inclusive UK employers for LGBT people, but there was a lack of blue-chip firms in the annual rankings (The Evening Standard)
  8. BBC’s 20% gender pay gap for top stars exposed in new report – The BBC was embroiled in a massive new gender pay row today as a major report revealed men are earning as much as 20 per cent more than women in some high profile presenter roles (The Evening Standard)
  9. Ex-Salisbury mayor Andrew Roberts can sue his former firm for £3.4m, judge rules – An ex-mayor of Salisbury can now pursue a £3.4million claim against his former firm, an appeal court judge has ruled. Andrew Roberts claims Wilsons Solicitors forced him out after he blew the whistle the covering-up of workplace bullying and harassment allegations (The Salisbury Journal)
  10. London Council and Veolia fined after worker crushed by reversing vehicle – A London Borough Council and large waste company have been fined after a worker was crushed by a reversing dust cart, suffering significant injury. Southwark Crown Court heard how, on 9 May 2016, an employee of London Borough of Croydon, working within the motor vehicle repair undertaking of Veolia ES (UK) Limited as a workshop cleaner, was struck by a reversing 17 and a half tonne dust cart (HSE)