Employment law stories in the news – 25.04.2016 to 01.05.2016

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 25 April and 1 May 2016

  1. Ex-Citigroup executive sues claiming whistle-blower mistreatment – Marco Arosio, a former executive at Citigroup Inc., sued the bank for unfair dismissal, according to filings from a London employment tribunal. The complaint by Arosio, who worked in rates trading and structuring according to his LinkedIn page, alleges his firing was related to whistle-blowing. Additional details weren’t available from the court other than that hearings are scheduled for the case in mid-May (Bloomberg)
  2. Appeal court rejects government challenge in Poundland case – The government has lost the latest round of its legal battle to prevent thousands of jobseekers potentially clawing back millions in benefit payments that were stopped after they refused work placements under a “flawed” employment scheme (The Guardian)
  3. Former LLP member allowed to pursue ‘whistleblower’ claim –  The Employment Appeal Tribunal has allowed a former managing partner at a limited liability partnership (LLP) to pursue a claim against the firm in an alleged whistleblowing case (The Law Society Gazette)
  4. Obesity discrimination: UK disability laws incompatible with EU directive – UK laws preventing discrimination against people based on their size should be reformed, according to analysis of obesity discrimination made by an employment tribunal judge. Philip Rostant, who is also the national training director of the Employment Tribunals of England and Wales, co-wrote an academic paper, ‘All About that Bass’? Is Non‐Ideal‐Weight Discrimination Unlawful in the UK? in the Modern Law Review (Personnel Today)
  5. Former Leeds assistant Nigel Gibbs awarded damages over dismissal – The former assistant manager of Leeds has won £331,426 damages over his dismissal by the club. Mr Justice Langstaff assessed the award due to Nigel Gibbs, who resigned from his post in July 2014, after a hearing at the high court (The Guardian)
  6. Organist told to ‘keep quiet’ after finding pornographic images on church computer, tribunal hears – A church organist was silenced after he discovered gay pornography on a church official’s computer, an employment tribunal has heard (Christian Today)
  7. Two firms fined for safety breaches – Two Derbyshire-based construction firms were fined for safety breaches as a result of separate investigations into reported cases of carpel tunnel syndrome and hand arm vibration syndrome to employees (HSE)
  8. Le Pain Quotidien ended paid staff breaks ahead of ‘national living wage’ – The Belgian coffee shop chain Le Pain Quotidien has been criticised for stopping paid breaks for staff ahead of the introduction of the government’s “national living wage”, and for failing to pass on all staff tips (The Guardian)
  9. Roofing firm fined over safety breach – A roofing firm from Malton was fined today for safety breaches after a worker fractured his skull following a fall from height. Mitchell Roofing Ltd, was contracted to replace existing rooflights at Monk Bridge Construction Co Ltd, Elvington, York. The injured worker slipped and fell some seven metres through the inner roof sheet sustaining severe injuries (HSE)
  10. Brent Council is ‘excellent’ for its equality policies after tribunal ruling leads to an overhaul – Officers from the Local Government Association (LGA) rated the council’s performance for equalities as ‘Excellent’ following an inspection. The grade has been awarded under the LGA’s Equality Framework for Local Government (Kilburn Times)