Employment law cases in the news – 15.02.2016 to 21.02.2016

redmans-blog-newsIn the latest of our series of posts on employment law cases in the news, we take a look at eight employment law cases that have made the news between 15 February and 21 February 2016

  1. Plumbing firm to the rich and famous avoided paying tax and used case of Stringfellow’s lapdancer in its defence at employment tribunal – Pimlico Plumbers avoids paying PAYE and national insurance for its tradesmen as the company hires them as ‘self employed contractors’ who are responsible for paying their own tax. The high-profile firm founded by Charlie Mullins, uses an entirely legal method of avoiding paying tax as the plumbers it sends out to fix leaks are not employed directly (The Daily Mail)
  2. Restaurant boss fined £25,000 after employing four illegal immigrants – A Glasgow restaurant boss who employed four illegal immigrants has been fined £25,000. Harcharan Singh Sekhon, 40, who owns Bombay Blues, was disqualified for 6 years from being a director of a limited company (Herald Scotland)
  3. South Derbyshire District Council officer sacked over garden gate was ‘unfairly’ dismissed – A former council officer sacked after he failed to apply for planning permission for a gate at his home was ‘unfairly and wrongfully’ dismissed, an employment tribunal has ruled. Philip Heath, the former conservation and heritage officer at South Derbyshire District Council, won his case for unfair and wrongful dismissal following a hearing held at Leicester Employment Tribunal (Burton Mail)
  4. Man sacked by email while fighting cancer gets five-figure settlement – A man who was sacked by email after his employer learned he had cancer has received a five-figure, out-of-tribunal settlement – thanks to a Northants campaign group. The man, referred to as ‘Adrian’, was employed in the role of a sales executive at a company in Ireland, when during his time there he was diagnosed with cancer (Northampton News)
  5. Smith and Ouzman Ltd fined £2.2 million for making corrupt payments – On 8 January 2016, Smith and Ouzman Ltd, which specialises in printing security documents, was ordered to pay £2.2 million by Southwark Crown Court. The sentencing follows a conviction (as reported in the 11 March 2015 issue of this newsletter) under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 for making payments totalling £395,074 to public officials for business contracts in Kenya and Mauritania (Lexology)
  6. Scrap metal firm in court over worker’s severe forklift injuries – A scrap metal firm and its director have been sentenced after a Manchester worker suffered severe injuries to his left arm when it became stuck in a forklift truck. The worker, aged 30, from Levenshulme remained trapped for over two hours while the emergency services tried to free his arm from the vehicle’s mast at Levenshulme Trading Estate, Printworks Lane on 8 November 2013 (HSE)
  7. Employment Tribunal hears of probe into overtime payments in the run up to the Commonwealth Games – Managers at a Glasgow swimming pool who were sacked after a probe into overtime payments in the run up to the Commonwealth Games have mounted a legal challenge at an employment tribunal. Five workers are claiming unfair dismissal after their employer, Glasgow Life, fired them from Tollcross International Swimming Centre (Evening Times)
  8. Two companies fined after director of one falls through a skylight – Two companies have been fined for safety failings after the director of one company fell through a skylight at the other company’s site. Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court heard Touch Access Limited (TAL) of Bournemouth attended the site of Beagle Technology Group Limited (BTGL) to clean out roof gutters of the buildings (HSE)