Employment law cases in the news – 20.07.2015 to 26.07.2015

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 20 July 2015 and 26 July 2015

  1. Belgian chefs feud over famous Highland inn leads to tribunal – A Lochaber gastropub is reportedly at the centre of a bitter row between two Belgian chefs. Fabrice Geurts, a former chef of the Old Forge Inn, is understood to be taking owner Jean-Pierre Robinet to an employment tribunal claiming breach of contract and holiday pay (The Press and Journal)
  2. Harrods restaurant worker wants £1million for racial discrimination after being sacked for eating a £7.50 slice of chocolate cake – A Harrods worker wants £1m for racial discrimination after he was sacked for eating a £7.50 slice of chocolate cake. Juan Mackenzie, 35, ate the three-layered Devil’s Dog Cake after a customer complained about it being dry. He then tasted a slice from a fresh cake to make sure it was moist enough, an employment tribunal heard (The Mail Online)
  3. Teacher who had arm twisted by head awarded £1.5m bullying compensation – A cash strapped council has been ordered to pay £1.5m to a teacher who was found to have suffered ‘continuous and relentless bullying’ by an employment tribunal. Karen Hall has been awarded the damages after an 11-year battle with Durham County Council which began when she blew the whistle on bullying at a village primary school (The Northern Echo)
  4. Dad accused of bid to use leaked data to blackmail Jaguar Land Rover owners – A former Leamington restaurant owner faces losing £300,000 after being accused of attempting to use sensitive data to blackmail one of the world’s biggest companies. Tata Consultancy Services, part of the India-based Tata Motors Group which took over Coventry’s Jaguar Land Rover, has gained a temporary injunction against Prashant Sengar of Solihull (The Coventry Telegraph)
  5. Devon hospital chief-quit whistleblower awarded payout – A Devon hospital whistleblower whose claims led to a chief executive quitting her job over ‘nepotism and favouritism’ has been awarded £230,000 compensation by a tribunal. Dr Paula Vasco-Knight was not only the chief executive of Torbay Hospital in south Devon but was also the national lead on equality and diversity (The Exeter Express and Echo)
  6. Fears of multi-million pound payout for Suffolk Constabulary subside after action by ex-officers – Fears of a potential seven-figure payout for Suffolk Constabulary over the compulsory retirement of more than 30 police officers look as if they have receded. The Employment Appeal Tribunal has now overturned the original tribunal finding following a hearing which was held in March (EADT)
  7. Couple are suing their former firm claiming the boss was ‘continually harassing them over their sex life’ – A young couple are suing their former employer for sexual harassment in a claim worth £40,000 after accusing their boss of obsessing over their sex life. Maxine Williams, 28, told a tribunal that team leader Danny Butterworth also used to make her lean over desks so that he could look down her top and ogle her breasts (The Mail Online)
  8. Tribunal dismisses security guard’s claim that his Quran was thrown “in the bin” by his employer – An Employment Tribunal has ruled against a Muslim security guard who claimed his employers had thrown away his Quran and “challenged and disrespected” his religion. The claimant, identified as Mr Hussain, alleged that his copy of the Quran had been taken from his personal locker at his workplace and “discarded in the bin” by his employer (Secularism)
  9. ‘Architect’ of Luton Labour success, Francis Steer, taking party to employment tribunal – Former Luton Labour Party council organiser Francis Steer is taking the party to an employment tribunal, having been removed from his post a week after the party maintained their grip on Luton Borough Council. Sources close to Mr Steer have said that after the election, a motion was put forward inside Luton Labour Councillors, with no prior discussion or disciplinary action, to remove the role of organiser from within the party, effectively leaving Mr Steer out of a job (Luton Dunstable)
  10. Construction firms sentenced after worker death – A national construction firm and a glazing contractor have been sentenced after pleading guilty to safety breaches after a worker fell to his death from a store front in Exeter. Philip Evans was working for specialist construction company London Fenestration Trades Ltd, which was contracted by principal contractor, Sir Robert McAlpine to undertake remedial repair works to a glass façade above an entrance to a department store in Princess Hay, Exeter on 9th November 2011 (HSE)