Employment law stories in the news this week – 24.02.2014 to 02.03.2014

MoJIn the latest of our series of posts on employment law stories in the news this week, we take a look at ten employment law stories that have made headlines between 24 February and 2 March 2014. This includes new compensation limits for the Employment Tribunal, a senior executive awarded a £400,000 payout, and a successful Employment Tribunal claimant who has still not been paid his award

  1. New compensation limits for Employment Tribunal announced – The Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order 2014 has been published, increasing the limits on specified employment tribunal awards and other amounts payable under employment law from 6 April 2014 (HR Director)
  2. Senior Blackberry executive wins £400,000 payout over claims he was bullied by his bosses with personal insults and the silent treatment – A Blackberry mobile phone manager who claimed he was left feeling suicidal after being bullied by his bosses has won a £400,000 payout. Glen Hill, a former global strategic accounts manager who earned £88,000-a-year, claimed he was insulted before being subjected to ‘long silences’ (The Mail Online)
  3. Britain’s bank bosses to get millions in share payments in bonus cap dodge – The bosses of Britain’s biggest banks are on course to be awarded millions of pounds in share payments to circumvent a Brussels-imposed bonus cap – a move that risks inflaming the toxic row over City pay deals. The new payments would be in addition to bank leaders’ basic pay because the EU is limiting bonuses to 100% of salaries – or 200% if shareholders approve larger payments (The Guardian)
  4. Minimum wage: Low Pay Commission backs a 3% increase – The Low Pay Commission has recommended a 3% increase in the minimum wage to £6.50 an hour for adults. It would be the first increase in real terms since 2008, if the government accepts the proposal (BBC)
  5. Minimum wage offenders named and shamed – Five employers who failed to pay their staff the minimum wage have been “named and shamed” by the government. It is only the second time this has been done, under new rules which came into effect last October (BBC)
  6. Dunnes employee sacked for eating chicken goujons at work, employment tribunal told – A Dunnes Stores employee sacked from her job after she was caught on camera eating €10 worth of chicken goujons and other hot food from the deli counter, has taken a case for unfair dismissal against the company (The Independent)
  7. Michelle Mone’s lingerie firm loses Scott Kilday employment tribunal – A director who left Michelle Mone’s lingerie firm MJM International after discovering his office had been bugged has won his case for unfair dismissal. Scott Kilday, 35, walked out when he found a listening device in his office (BBC)
  8. Three former Barclays employees in court over Libor scandal – Three former employees of Barclays faced criminal charges in court on Wednesday as a result of the UK Serious Fraud Office’s probe into alleged manipulation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (The Financial Times)
  9. Former worker wins victimisation ruling over negative reference – Employers who unfairly give former employees bad references could face damages claims in the wake of a ruling regarding an Oxfordshire man. On Wednesday three appeal judges ruled in favour of car body repairer Pat Jessemey, who had worked in a car sales and repair business in Rowstock, near Didcot until three years ago (The Oxford Mail)
  10. Whistle-blower has not received a penny of £26,000 compensation awarded by employment tribunal – A whistle-blower who won an unfair dismissal case after raising health and safety concerns at work has yet to receive a penny of the £26,000 compensation he was awarded by an employment tribunal (The Telegraph and Argus)