Employment law cases in the news – 02.11.2015 to 08.11.2015

redmans-blog-newsIn the latest of our series of posts on employment law cases in the news, we take a look at ten employment law cases that have made headlines between 2 November and 8 November 2015

  1. Uber Drivers In The U.K. Just Filed An Employee Misclassification Claim – Uber, which has been fending off an employee misclassification suit on its home turf in the U.S. for the last few months, is expected to be served with a practically identical claim by the U.K.’s Employment Tribunal in the coming weeks. Four Uber drivers filed a claim to the Employment Tribunal last Wednesday alleging that the ride-hail company misclassified them as independent contractors (Buzzfeed)
  2. Canon Jeremy Pemberton loses tribunal claim the Church discriminated against him for being in gay marriage – Canon Jeremy Pemberton, who claimed he was discriminated against by the Church of England after he was refused a job for being in a gay marriage, has lost his tribunal. Premier can reveal Nottingham Employment Tribunal has dismissed all claims made by the vicar (Premier)
  3. Homophobia row preacher ‘forced’ to quit HMP Littlehey – A prison minister felt “compelled” to resign after a row about “homophobic” Bible verses which he read from during services for inmates. Reverend Barry Trayhorn told an employment tribunal he had read the verses at HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire in 2014 (BBC)
  4. Farm owners sentenced after injury to worker – The proprietors of a Northumberland farm were fined after an employee suffered leg injuries after a concrete panel fell on him. Mid and South East Northumberland Magistrates’ Court heard that on 04 August 2014, the farm worker and another employee were using a telehandler with a fork attachment to build cattle troughs using reinforced concrete panels weighing approx. 1.5 tonnes (HSE)
  5. Eva Carneiro to sue Jose Mourinho as well as Chelsea – Jose Mourinho is being personally sued by Eva Carneiro on top of the legal action she is taking against Chelsea over the loss of her job as the club’s first-team doctor. Carneiro is poised to heap pressure on the beleaguered Mourinho this week by serving papers on him which could force him to appear in person at an employment tribunal next year (The Telegraph)
  6. Roofing firm fined after workers are exposed to lead – A Gloucestershire roofing company pleaded guilty to health and safety failings after workers were put at risk of significant levels of exposure to lead. On Wednesday 4 November 2015, Worcester Magistrates’ Court was told that during a routine HSE inspection, the company was observed carrying out replacement lead work on a roof in Worcester (HSE)
  7. BBC bosses spent £500,000 of licence fee payers’ cash defending their sacking of the Corporation’s technology chief –BBC bosses spent nearly £500,000 on a failed legal defence of their decision to sack a former technology chief, it has emerged. John Linwood, who was paid £240,000-a-year, was dismissed in July 2013 after a major IT project he managed was scrapped (The Daily Mail)
  8. Council worker was not driven from his job, tribunal rules – A former council worker who claimed he was forced to quit his job because of “unfair” pressure from his bosses has lost his case. Stephen Paterson took Aberdeenshire Council to an employment tribunal last month, and claimed he had been forced to leave his job as a tax assistant due to pressure from his bosses (Press and Journal)
  9. NHS mental health trust admits whistleblower who spoke out about bullying acted in good faith – Britain’s largest mental health trust has been forced into a humiliating climb-down after finally admitting the whistleblower who spoke out about bullying and harassment of staff had acted in good faith and in the public interest. Dr Hayley Dare revealed a culture of bullying and harassment at West London Mental Health NHS Trust – which includes Broadmoor high-security hospital among its 32 sites – but was ridiculed by bosses (The Independent)
  10. Hartlepool lecturer wins ‘substantial payout’ over treatment at college – A Hartlepool college lecturer unfairly dismissed from her job has received a “substantial” undisclosed payout. Sue Houchen, former head of law at Hartlepool Sixth Form College, resigned last year after taking sick leave due to work-related stress and depression (The Hartlepool Mail)