Employment law stories in the news – 29.06.2015 to 05.07.2015

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 the news between 29 June and 5 July 2015

  1. Worker’s serious injuries after arms entangled in machine – A worker’s arms were entangled in a high-powered lathe, causing serious injuries, because safety systems on the machine had been defeated. Brendan Hayes, 32, broke bones in his left arm and both wrists after they were entangled in a prop shaft he was polishing at Propbrook Engineering Limited (HSE)
  2. Commerzbank Sued by Employee Who Says Bank Run Like a ‘Frat’ – Commerzbank AG was sued by a director who said she was discriminated against in an environment more akin to a fraternity where she was isolated by discussions held in German, or at bars.
    Jenus Fiouzi, a senior currency hedge fund saleswoman in London who also worked at several other banks, said in a witness statement that Commerzbank had a “friends and mates culture” where there was “a well entrenched guard of men” (Bloomberg)
  3. Sickness benefit shake-up considered – Plans to scrap part of the UK’s main sickness benefit are being considered, a leaked Whitehall paper suggests.
    It describes the Employment and Support Allowance as a “passive” benefit which does not “incentivise” people to find a job, and proposes abolishing the work-related activity group (WRAG) category (BBC)
  4. Director of education wins claim against former owner of St Patrick’s College for unfair dismissal – The former director of education at St Patrick’s College has won a claim for unfair dismissal after he was sacked by the institution, the biggest private college in England and now part of a group that recently bought the University of Law (The Times Higher Education)
  5. Twenty7Tec fends off fierce criticism – An employment tribunal awarded against Mortgage27 was a factor in Twenty7Tec writing off its subsidiary firm, which focused on the direct-to-consumer market. Andrew Simon, executive general product manager at Trigold’s parent group IRESS, said financial stability is crucial in developing long-term relationships required for success (The Mortgage Introducer)
  6. Female scientists paid £5,000 less a year than their male counterparts, report finds – Female science professors are paid thousands of pounds less than their male counterparts despite carrying out similar duties according to a report on the latest university salaries of senior scientists. Women are on average paid about £5,000 less than men for a university professorship in science, but in some academic institutions such as Bristol University and the London School of Economics (LSE) the difference can be as high as about £21,000 (The Independent)
  7. Pay 18-20 year olds full minimum wage says Burnham – Andy Burnham has called for 18-20 year olds to be paid the same minimum wage as older workers as he and other Labour candidates addressed a union hustings. He said he would scrap the lower rate for young adult workers, currently paid £1.37 less than older colleagues, as an “hour’s work deserves an hour’s pay” (BBC)
  8. Chef who bit two police officers wins £11k for unfair dismissal after being sacked – A head chef convicted of assault for biting police officers and spitting their blood at others has been awarded £11,000 for unfair dismissal. Hotel bosses have to pay James Harvey after a tribunal ruled they failed to follow procedure for dismissal after he was given 18 months in jail for the violent rampage (The Express)
  9. Newbury Town Council chief says he was “bullied and intimidated” – The former chief executive of Newbury Town Council resigned because he felt the organisation didn’t do enough to help protect him from being “bullied and intimidated”, he told an employment tribunal in Reading last week (Newbury Today)
  10. Consultant at the Royal Sussex County Hospital fired after ‘racist’ comments – A senior doctor has been sacked by an NHS trust for making allegedly racist comments about doctors on his team. Peter Hale was dismissed from his post as a consultant surgeon at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton for gross misconduct after making allegedly discriminatory comments during a staff meeting (The Argus)