Employment law stories in the news – 31.07.2017 to 06.08.2017

In 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 31 July and 6 August 2017

  1. Christian health boss sacked for opposing gay adoption accuse NHS of discrimination – Richard Page, 71, told an employment tribunal he was penalised for defending the role of the traditional family. The father-of-three said he had worked with many gay people during his 20-year health service career and had never questioned their ability nor style of life (The Express)
  2. Company fined £250,000 after crushing leaves worker with brain damage – A passenger air transport firm has been fined after an employee suffered brain damage after being crushed by hangar doors in Bedfordshire (HSE)
  3. BAE Systems loses case over ‘single sexist comment’ – BAE Systems has lost a legal appeal to reduce a £360,000 compensation payout to a former secretary over a “single sexist comment” at work. The defence company argued that the award to Marion Konczak, 62, was “excessive” (The Financial Times)
  4. Employment tribunal fees axe could help older claims – Unison – People who decided not to take cases to employment tribunals because fees were introduced could now make claims after the charges were ruled unlawful.
    The Unison union said those with claims rejected because they had not paid the fee could write to the tribunal saying it was no longer required (BBC)
  5. EAT rules that voluntary overtime should be included in holiday pay – The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has dismissed an appeal by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, ruling that voluntary overtime should be taken into account when calculating holiday pay (Employee Benefits)
  6. Court victory expands collective consultation rights, claims Unison – A Court of Appeal decision “makes it much harder for employers to ignore staff when making major changes in the workplace”, Unison claims. Vining and others v London Borough of Wandsworth and another involved the redundancies of two park police constables (Personnel Today)
  7. Addison Lee suffers latest defeat in legal row over gig economy rights – Addison Lee has become the latest company to face defeat in court over its treatment of workers as “independent contractors” without rights to holiday pay or the national minimum wage (The Guardian)
  8. ‘Landmark’ ruling says husband and wife foster carers are council employees – A husband and wife team who have been working as foster carers have succeeded in a bid to be recognised as council employees following a “landmark” tribunal ruling (Herald Scotland)
  9. Company sentenced after worker loses hand – A soft toy filling company was sentenced for safety breaches after a worker suffered life changing injuries. Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard the worker lost his left hand as a consequence of being drawn into an unguarded carding machine on 8 March 2016 (HSE)
  10. Local Citizens Advice group welcomes end to “unlawful” tribunal fees – The CEO of West Dunbartonshire’s Citizens Advice Bureau has welcomed last week’s decision by the UK’s top court to ban the charging of fees for employment tribunal cases (The Dumbarton Reporter)