Employment law cases in the news – 01.12.2014 to 07.12.2014

redmans-blog-newsIn the latest of our series of posts on employment law cases in the news, we take a look at ten employment law cases that have made the news between 1 December and 7 December 2014.

  1. Thames Water is expecting to plead guilty over the death of a worker in Walthamstow next week – Thames Water is expected to be sentenced next week over the death of a worker in Walthamstow. Raymond Holmes was killed on April 30, 2010, at the Coopermill Lane site when he was involved in an incident with a vehicle in a confined space (The Waltham Forest Guardian)
  2. Former Cammell Laird shipyard worker wins European Parliament backing in 30 year battle for justice – A former Cammell Laird worker jailed after taking part in industrial action has won the backing of the European Parliament in a 30-year bid to clear his name. Brussels politicians said Eddie Marnell, from Aintree, had been the victim of a clear miscarriage of justice and his case had been an outrage (The Liverpool Echo)
  3. Worker sacked over stale chicken wrap gets €50,000 – A sacking sparked by a stale chicken wrap has cost food firm Gate Gourmet more than €50,000. This follows the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) ordering that the airline catering firm pay sacked supervisor Joe Smith €50,899 after ruling that he was unfairly dismissed in 2012 (The Irish Independent)
  4. Tameside firm in court over dangerous saws – A Tameside gate manufacturer has been fined £10,000 after it ignored a formal warning about installing guards on two circular saws. Openshaw Bespoke Timber Gates Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after it continued to expose its workforce to danger by operating the saws for one month after being ordered to take them out of use at its workshop on the Greenside Trading Estate in Droylsden (HSE)
  5. ‘Drumcree Chicken’: Nurse wins discrimination damages – A Catholic nurse has been awarded £9,900 by an industrial tribunal on the basis of religious discrimination. The tribunal upheld a number of complaints made by Shane O’Hare, a nurse at the Ulster Hospital (BBC)
  6. Whistle-blowing heart consultant was unfairly dismissed by hospital trust in bid to damage his reputation, tribunal finds – A renowned heart specialist who raised the alarm over a hospital’s failings was unfairly dismissed in a calculated attempt to damage his reputation, a tribunal has ruled. Consultant cardiologist Dr Kevin Beatt has won a two-year legal battle with Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, which sacked him in September 2012 after he raised the alarm about staffing shortages, ‘appalling’ equipment and workplace bullying (The Daily Mail)
  7. Former principal settles tribunal case with Deaf School – The former principal of Scotland’s national school for deaf children has settled an employment tribunal case against the trust that runs the troubled institution. The former principal of Scotland’s national school for deaf children has settled an employment tribunal case against the trust that runs the troubled institution (The Herald Scotland)
  8. Engineering firm in court over worker’s fall – An engineering company has been fined for safety breaches after an employee was seriously injured when he fell more than four metres while dismantling a recycling cabin (HSE)
  9. Whistleblowing garage mechanic wins £46,000 compensation after he was sacked when he accused his bosses of overcharging customers – A mechanic who was unfairly sacked when he accused garage bosses of overcharging customers for unnecessary work, has been awarded £46,000 in compensation. Whistleblower Jason Phur, 39, told an employment tribunal a whole host of not needed work had been carried out by mechanics at the garage (The Daily Mail)
  10. Top doctor sues Manchester Royal Infirmary for ‘racism’ after bust-up with surgeon outside operating theatre – A top doctor who was demoted following an extraordinary bust-up with a surgeon at Manchester Royal Infirmary is suing the hospital for racial discrimination. Consultant anaesthetist Dr Kamran Abbas and consultant surgeon Jarrod Homer were both given final written warnings after the furious altercation in front of colleagues on the hospital’s main theatre corridor (The Manchester Evening News)