Employment law cases in the news – 05.01.2015 to 11.01.2015

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-related cases that have made the news between 5 January and 11 January 2015

  1. Manufacturing firm fined over worker’s death – A West Yorkshire company has been sentenced after a worker died when he was crushed beneath a one tonne silo of varnish that slid from the tines of a forklift truck and toppled onto him (HSE)
  2. The Court of Appeal finds that label attached to misconduct trial was immaterial – The Court of Appeal gave judgment in a medical misconduct case shortly before Christmas. In Brito-Babapulle –v- Ealing Hospitals NHS Trust [2014] EWCA Civ 1626, the Court of Appeal considered whether an Employment Tribunal had erred in finding that a dismissal had been for misconduct where the employer had attached an emotive label to the conduct in its dismissal letter (Lexology)
  3. Overseas remote worker cleared to bring tribunal claim in England – Employers should be aware that staff working remotely overseas can still bring tribunal claims in the UK. Ruling in the case of Lodge v Dignity & Choice in Dying, the employment appeal tribunal (EAT) found that the claimant did not lose her right to bring claims in England simply because she was working as a virtual employee in Australia (WS&B)
  4. John Radcliffe Hospital ‘whistleblower’ is advised to drop legal action – A hospital worker who alleged that blood was “criminally” taken from a dead patient has dropped legal action after a judge said it was unlikely to succeed. Anne Stares, 61, said at an employment tribunal that Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust bosses “fobbed off” her concerns (Oxford Mail)
  5. Leamington solicitors’ staff to get pay out – A solicitor and legal assistant who lost their jobs when a leading solicitors firm in Leamington went into administration are in line for a share of a total of more than £180,000 (Leamington Courier)
  6. AYO Media co-founder wins unfair dismissal claim – The co-founder of a now defunct Tyneside web development firm has won an employment tribunal hearing over his unfair dismissal from the business. Forty-year-old Tony Olanipekun co-founded AYO Digital but was sacked before the firm entered liquidation in October (The Journal)
  7. Oxford University college bursar unfairly sacked, tribunal rules – A sacked Oxford University college bursar was unfairly dismissed, an employment tribunal ruled. Jean Wright, 60, claimed she was fired from her role at St Peter’s College after she pushed for an archivist to be dismissed over harassment allegations, a move she said turned other staff against her (The Oxford Times)
  8. Parties bound by settlement agreed by lawyers over email (Bieber & Ors v Teathers (In Liquidation)) – On 11 December 2014, HHJ Pelling QC, sitting as a judge in the Chancery Division, held in the case of Beiber and others v Teathers Ltd (in liquidation) [2014] EWHC 4205 (Ch); [2014] All ER (D) 168 (Dec) that the parties had settled their litigation by an agreement contained in, or evidenced by, an exchange of emails between their solicitors (Lexis Nexis)
  9. Tribunal awards former contractor workers £560k – Workers employed by Connaught on an outsourced housing maintenance contract for Norwich City Council have won a payout in the region of £560,000 after a four-and-a-half year legal battle (Inside Housing)
  10. Lollipop man sues council for unfair dismissal after calling black colleague ‘King Kong’ – A lollipop man suing Camden Council for sacking him after calling a black colleague “King Kong” today told of his “hell” since the dismissal as his claim entered a second day. Jon Seymour, 46, who has helped children cross the road outside Carlton Primary School in Kentish Town for nearly 20 years, was sacked for gross misconduct for the alleged “threatening, racist and abusive” outburst during a row at the town hall (The Evening Standard)