Employment law cases in the news – 23.03.2015 to 29.03.2015

In the latest of our series of posts on employment law cases that have made the news, we take a look at ten employment law cases that made headlines between 23 March and 29 March 2015.

1. Manufacturer in court after worker’s arm pulled into machinery – A manufacturing firm has been fined for serious safety failings after a worker was injured when his arm was caught between a conveyor belt and roller in a Glasgow factory (HSE)
2. Lorry driver awarded £15,000 after discrimination case upheld – A Preston haulage company has been ordered to pay a Polish driver almost £15,000 after allegations of racial discrimination were upheld by a tribunal (Lancashire Evening Post)
3. 100 ex-workers win £3k payout for unfair dismissal from collapsed manufacturer – More than 100 former staff at collapsed copper manufacturer Thomas Bolton could receive more than £3,000 each after winning an unfair dismissal case. Froghall-based Thomas Bolton Ltd went into administration last March and its 110 employees were made redundant (The Stoke Sentinel)
4. ‘Petite’ female firearms officers who won case against police chiefs because guns were too big for their hands say the force is ‘malicious’ – Two ‘petite’ firearms officers who won a sex discrimination case over the size of their big guns have spoken out against the ‘malicious’ police force amid claims they are being ‘starved’ back to work. Victoria Wheatley and Rachael Giles won their sex discrimination case against the Civil Nuclear Constabulary on the grounds they could not reach the trigger at a hearing in February last year (The Mail Online)
5. Road construction firms sentenced after road worker loses arm – Three construction firms have been ordered to pay over £400,000 in fines and costs for serious safety failings, after a worker lost his arm when it became trapped in poorly-guarded machinery during a road surfacing operation in Hertfordshire (HSE)
6. Southport firm in court over worker’s roof fall – A Southport company has been fined after an employee sustained serious injuries when he fell some four metres from a bungalow roof. The 60-year-old from Southport, who has asked not to be named, fractured his skull and back, and broke several ribs in the incident on 6 March 2014 (HSE)
7. Aircraft engineer claims he was sacked after raising safety concerns at British Airways – An aircraft engineer who claims he was sacked after raising safety concerns over procedures at British Airways is suing the airline for unfair dismissal. John Higgins, who worked as an aircraft maintenance supervisor for the firm, claims he made protected disclosures to BA and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) over who was allowed to sign off on work carried out on aircraft (Herald Scotland)
8. Employers told to factor commission into holiday pay – Employers must take account of commission payments when they calculate holiday pay for their staff, according to a legal ruling by an employment tribunal that will push up some companies’ wage bills (The Financial Times)
9. Southall man sacked by Heathrow over ‘racist’ Facebook comments wins tribunal – A Heathrow Airport security guard who was sacked over comments on his Facebook page has won his claim for unfair dismissal. Shakil Anwar, of Marlborough Road, Southall, told his employers his Facebook account had been hacked and somebody else had posted “highly abusive, racist and offensive” comments defending the Islamic faith in April last year (Get West London)
10. City Link broke law over job cuts: Courier firm failed to hold consultation period when it made more than 2,500 people redundant – The courier firm City Link broke the law when it went bust over Christmas – but it can only be fined a maximum of £5,000. MPs investigating the collapse say today it ‘is clearly in the financial interest of a company to break the law’ (The Mail Online)