Employment law stories in the news – 15.02.2016 to 21.02.2016

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

  1. Relax Sunday trading laws to help shops, MPs say – Rules on Sunday opening hours for shops in England and Wales are out of date and need to be relaxed, a group of 200 MPs and council leaders has said. In a letter to the Sunday Telegraph, they wrote that increasing spending on Sundays would boost job prospects and help shops compete with online firms (BBC)
  2. 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 (HSE)
  3. 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)
  4. £76,000 for stressed boss who was forced to resign – An employment tribunal has held that a former director of a north-east energy firm was forced into resigning after oil tycoon Ian Suttie ignored concerns about apparent financial irregularities in the company’s records (Press and Journal)
  5. 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)
  6. Brexit threatens rights to maternity leave and paid holiday, says TUC chief – ritish workers’ rights to paid holiday, maternity leave and fair treatment at work would be at risk if the UK voted to leave the European Union, the head of the Trades Union Congress has warned (The Guardian)
  7. Council planning chief sacked after installing garden gate without permission – A council’s planning chief was sacked after he installed a modern garden gate on his Grade II listed cottage without asking for planning permission. Philip Heath worked as heritage officer at South Derbyshire District Council and is regarded as an authority on historical buildings (The Telegraph)