Employment law cases in the news – 26.09.2016 to 02.10.2016

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 headlines between 26 September 2016 and 2 October 2016

  1. Sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal claim made against Walsall firm Personnel Services Ltd – A Bulgarian mother-of-two has made legal claims for sex discrimination and unfair dismissal against a Walsall firm after complaining she was “forgotten” during a takeover whilst on maternity leave (Walsall Advertiser)
  2. Alton Towers’ owners fined £5 million over Smiler crash – The owners of Alton Towers have been fined £5 million with costs of £69,955.40 following a rollercoaster collision which left 16 people injured, a number of them seriously. Two young women on the Smiler ride suffered leg amputations and others suffered severe injuries when their carriage collided with a stationary carriage on the same track on 2 June 2015 (HSE)
  3. Former Imam at Princess Street Mosque in Burton takes his case to employment tribunal – The case into whether the former Imam of the Princess Street Mosque in Burton was dismissed unfairly has got under way at a tribunal hearing in Nottingham. The tribunal has heard that Hafeez Ul Rehman was removed from the post as Imam of the Jamia Hanfia Ghosia Mosque, otherwise known as the Princess Street Mosque, on July 12 last year (The Burton Mail)
  4. Sacked Muslim teacher suing school for ‘racial discrimination’ over 9/11 video – A United Kingdom-based Muslim teacher has decided to take a Birmingham school to court over what she claims was ‘racial discrimination’ and an ‘unfair dismissal’. Suriyah Bi, 24, who had been a teaching assistant for a just a week, claimed she was fired from Heartlands Academy in Birmingham after she claimed it was not appropriate for grade seven students (11 and 12-year olds) to watch an ‘X-rated’ clip (The Express Tribune)
  5. Charity’s £75k pay out after founder’s campaign of harassment – A charity has been ordered to pay a former employee almost £75,000 in damages following a “calculated and premeditated” campaign of harassment. An employment tribunal has heard how Ali Khan, 56, left his female victim suffering post-traumatic stress disorder – and how he threatened to reveal intimate details about her (Third Force News)
  6. Caught short: Van driver wins £30k compo after pooing himself – A van driver has won compensation after he was sacked from his job for pooing himself twice while working. Keith Garvey had been taking meds for Type 2 diabetes, which had left him feeling sick and with a dodgy stomach (The Daily Star)
  7. Roofing firm fined after worker’s ladder fall – A King’s Lynn roofing company has been prosecuted after a worker fell seven metres from a scaffold access ladder while assisting with chimney repairs. Kings Lynn Magistrates Court heard how the worker was subcontracted by J Webber Roofing Limited to assist with removing waste, mixing cement and bringing tools up to colleagues who were working on the chimney at a domestic property on Beech Avenue in Kings Lynn on 10 July 2015 (HSE)
  8. Employer did not discriminate against older job candidate on the ground of age – An employment tribunal has held that a rejected job applicant was not subject to age discrimination where the employer selected a younger, less experienced candidate (XpertHR)
  9. Newton Abbot couple withdraw unfair dismissal claims for racist and sexist comments – A married couple working at a popular holiday park subjected staff to sexism, racism and bullying, a tribunal heard. An employment tribunal was told that two other workers had made various sex and race claims which included touching one worker’s breasts while she was washing up (The Teignmouth Post)
  10. Teachers posed for naked pictures and simulated sex acts in ‘wild’ team-building parties to Butlins – Teachers posed for X-rated pictures and took part in “wild” booze-fuelled parties while on team-building school trips to Butlins, a tribunal has heard. Teaching assistants flashed their breasts as governor Rob Dickinson, 40, took photos on a classroom camera, the hearing was told (Wales Online)