Employment law cases in the news – 18.05.2015 to 24.05.2015

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 the headlines between 18 May 2015 and 24 May 2015

  1. Shropshire fuel firm fined £20,000 – A fuel supply business has been sentenced after one of its workers was injured after being struck by a vehicle in a works yard. D A Roberts Fuels Ltd of Grindley Brook, Whitchurch, Shropshire, pleaded guilty to safety failings after the incident at the premises in 19 February 2014 (HSE)
  2. Standard Life consultant claims bosses tried to discredit her – A risk management consultant is suing financial giant Standard Life for unfair dismissal over claims bosses trawled through her expense claims in a bid to discredit her (Herald Scotland)
  3. Ex-partner, 53, to allege age discrimination against former firm – A 53-year-old solicitor will next week start proceedings against his former firm for alleged age discrimination. Tracy Fennell, who left the Bristol office of top-100 firm Foot Anstey last July, will argue that he was dismissed from the partnership on account of his age. The firm denies the allegation (The Law Society Gazette)
  4. Carcraft workers ‘considering taking legal action’ following the collapse of second-hand car supermarket – Staff who lost their jobs after the collapse of used car supermarket Carcraft are considering taking legal action. Solicitors say they have been contacted by a number of former workers, believed to be at least a dozen, over the possibility of mounting a group legal action (The Manchester Evening News)
  5. ‘Mothers should be at home with their children’: What ‘bullied’ ex-sergeant claims she was told by Essex Police when she asked for flexible working hours to care for her daughter – A former police sergeant was told mothers should be at home with their children when she asked for flexible hours in order to care for her daughter, a tribunal heard today. Sergeant Sarah Jay claims she was left suicidal and forced to resign from her dream job with Essex Police in 2014 as the force ‘bullied’ her and made it difficult for her to be a single mother (The Daily Mail)
  6. Michael Barrymore’s gay police officer pal was discriminated against by colleagues because of his sexuality – A gay police officer was taunted by colleagues and subjected to discrimination, harassment and victimisation while working for the Metropolitan Police, an employment tribunal has ruled (The Mirror)
  7. B&Q sacks old soldier, 82, who left his till for just three minutes – Grandad Ivor said he was marched to a car park by security guards and ordered not to speak to his workmates on the way out. He claimed bosses were frustrated that he was slowing down and finally accused him of leaving his till open to potential thieves (The Express)
  8. Business man jailed after Lithuanian worker killed after fall from roof at Blackburn mill – A business man in charge of converting an old mill has been jailed, and his father, the owner of the building, given a suspended jail sentence following an incident in which a Lithuanian worker died in a fall (HSE)
  9. Care worker wins £8000 from text pest boss – A care worker who received a string of sexually explicit text messages from her boss has won her case for sexual harassment and discrimination. Helen Leonard was awarded £8,000 by an employment tribunal after being subjected to the sexist comments by Colin Dunn, the partner of a woman for whom she was privately caring (Herald Scotland)
  10. Lloyds bank manager sacked for assaulting girlfriend claimed he was victim of sex discrimination – A Lloyds bank manager who was sacked for assaulting his girlfriend after a boozy Christmas party tried to claim he was a victim of sex discrimination. David Haughton, 30, argued with Gemma Tyler at the work do after he “drank far too much” and “danced inappropriately” with another female colleague (The Mirror)