Employment law stories in the news – 27.04.2015 to 03.04.2015

redmans-blog-newsIn the latest of our series of posts on employment law stories in the news, we take a look this week at ten employment law stories that have made headlines between 27 April and 3 May 2015

  1. Former Woolworths workers lose battle for compensation – Thousands of workers who lost their jobs when high street retailers Woolworths and Ethel Austin collapsed have lost a years-long battle for compensation. A decision by the European court of justice (ECJ) means that 3,200 ex-employees of Woolworths and 1,200 former staff at Ethel Austin will not receive any money (The Guardian)
  2. Supreme Court backs union in Stirling University staff row – Stirling University broke the law by letting fixed term staff go without consulting unions, the Supreme Court has ruled. A number of limited-term contracts were allowed to expire without renewal during university cutbacks in 2009 (BBC)
  3. Worcester vicar loses unfair dismissal appeal – A vicar who claimed he was the victim of a four-year campaign of hate has lost his case at the Court of Appeal. The Reverend Mark Sharpe, of Hanley Broadheath, near Worcester, said he was seeking to claim for unfair dismissal after disturbances in 2009 (BBC)
  4. Employment tribunal fees were a ‘very bad move’ – Vince Cable – Fees for employment tribunals have hit women the hardest and it was a mistake to introduce them, according to Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable. The government brought in employment tribunal fees of up to £1,200 two years ago (Politics Home)
  5. Polish worker “banned from speaking polish” takes north east firm to tribunal – A Polish fish factory worker has taken a north-east firm to an employment tribunal, claiming it is guilty of race discrimination. Magdalena Konieczna, 35, of Fraserburgh, was employed as a payroll administrator at Whitelink Seafoods from September 2012 until her dismissal last June (The Press and Journal)
  6. Unite rep wins tribunal after being blacklisted over staff complaint of anti-Scouse prejudice – A union representative blacklisted by Interserve Industrial Services while working on the Runcorn incinerator has won his employment tribunal for unfair dismissal. John Kelly, of Unite, was not offered work when the construction team transferred to another project at Capenhurst (The Liverpool Echo)
  7. Pirelli Tyres sentenced after factory worker’s death – Tyre manufacturer Pirelli has been fined £150,000 after an employee died when he became trapped in an industrial autoclave for more than two hours. George Falder was found dead at the factory on Dalston Road in Carlisle on 30 September 2012 in a machine used to heat parts of tyres to temperatures of up to 145 degrees Celsius (HSE)
  8. Sacked Morrisons boss receives £1.1m on top of £2.1m pay – Former Morrisons chief executive Dalton Philips doubled his pay last year to £2.1m and will receive a further £1.1m payoff despite being sacked after a slump in sales and profits at the supermarket chain (The Guardian)
  9. Bristol City Council prosecuted after worker thrown from tractor – Bristol City Council has been ordered to pay almost £25,000 for safety failings after a park keeper suffered serious injuries when she was thrown from a tractor as it overturned (HSE)
  10. Sky production staff braced for redundancies – Sky production staff in news and sport are braced for redundancies ahead of a meeting with management next Tuesday. Staff have not been told what is on the agenda at an “Agility and Flexibility” meeting called by Sky Production Services director Darren Long. They have been told only to expect an “important announcement” at the meeting at Sky’s Isleworth offices (The Guardian)