Employment law stories in the news – 19.10.2015 to 25.10.2015

redmans-blog-newsIn the latest of our series of posts on employment law stories in the news, we take a look at ten employment law stories that have made headlines between 19 October and 25 October 2015

  1. Government provides lifeline to Tata Steel workers as sector fights for survival – The Government has announced a £9m support package to help hundreds of Tata Steel workers in Scunthorpe who have lost their jobs as Britain’s steel sector fights for survival. UK Steel Enterprise, a subsidiary of Tata Steel, has pledged £3m to support workers in Scunthorpe following the announcement of 900 job losses this week (The Telegraph)
  2. Gender pay gap details to include bonuses – Larger employers will have to publish the amount awarded to men and women in bonuses as part of proposed legislation to reduce the gender pay gap. The planned regulations will apply to businesses in England, Wales and Scotland with more than 250 employees (BBC)
  3. Junior doctors to vote on strike action – British Medical Association – A strike ballot of junior doctors over a contract dispute will start next month and last two weeks, the British Medical Association has announced. The vote – starting on 5 November – has been expected since the union’s leaders agreed to a ballot last month (BBC)
  4. Foreign Office cleaners disciplined after writing to Philip Hammond for pay increase – A group of cleaners at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been put under disciplinary investigation by their employers after raising the issue of their low pay in a letter to the foreign secretary, Philip Hammond (The Guardian)
  5. Former News UK head of security settles employment tribunal – and withdraws promise of ‘shock’ revelations – News International’s former head of security has withdrawn his threat to make “shock” revelations about his former employer after settling an employment tribunal. Last month, Mark Hanna promised to expose “underhand” goings-on involving Rebekah Brooks and Rupert Murdoch in a Youtube video (The Press Gazette)
  6. Barclays banker claims he was fired so his boss could take the credit for a multi-million pound idea – A high-flying banker claims he was fired so his boss could take the credit for his idea to save Barclays £51.5 million and boost his own bonus, an employment tribunal heard. Milko Ostendorf worked for Barclays Capital Services in 2010 when he claims he came up with a genius solution to a dispute between the firm and a client over a £51.48 million fee (The Telegraph)
  7. Glass manufacturer in court after employees injured in explosion – A Chester glass container manufacturer has been fined for serious safety breaches after two employees were injured in a flash fire. Encirc Ltd was prosecuted today (22 Oct) by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an incident at Ash Road, Elton, Chester on the 14 May 2014 (HSE)
  8. HMRC reveals full list of 115 companies who fail to pay the minimum wage – Clothing and jewellery chain Monsoon Accessorize has been named as the worst British company for paying their staff the new minimum wage. The company was listed amongst 115 employers who have failed to pay their workers the National Minimum Wage (The Independent)
  9. £200,000 fine after worker fatally injured – A company which manufactures and supplies high-strength bar and cable systems has been fined £200,000 after a worker was pulled into a machine and killed. Alan Gerrard, 47, from Rotherham, suffered fatal crush injuries when his clothing got caught in a machine which was used to apply adhesive tape to bars to stop corrosion (HSE)
  10. Teacher sacked after accusing colleagues of helping pupils to cheat in exams takes school to tribunal – A teacher who was sacked after accusing colleagues of helping pupils to cheat in exams has taken her former school to an employment tribunal. Spanish teacher Elena Isherwood claims she was unfairly dismissed by Sale Grammar School after making allegations of exam malpractice in the modern foreign languages department (The Manchester Evening News)