Employment law stories in the news – 07.01.2019 to 13.01.2019

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 7 January 2019 and 13 January 2019

  1. NDAs: Society warns public interest must come first – Solicitors engaged in drawing up non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) on employment severance settlements have been reminded that, in any conflict of principles, the public interest in the proper administration of justice must come first (Law Society Gazette)
  2. Tribunal finds manager was unfairly and constructively dismissed during trust merger – An employment tribunal has ruled that a hospital trust unfairly dismissed a senior manager during the restructuring of staff across three trusts (National Health Executive)
  3. Workshop foreman fined after farm worker struck by tractor – A workshop foreman has been fined after he struck a farm worker whilst driving a tractor (HSE)
  4. University lecturer has ‘no legal right to be anti-PC’ after claims he was ‘hounded out’ by left-wing colleagues – A university lecturer does not have the right to be anti-PC, an employment judge has ruled, after he claimed that left-wing colleagues “hounded” him out (The Telegraph)
  5. Former Leeds employee Lucy Ward accuses FA of failing to act in clear-cut sexual discrimination case – The Football Association has been accused of failing to act over one of the most high-profile and clear-cut sexual discrimination cases in the sport’s history as it emerged they had never even interviewed the victim – despite claiming to have undertaken an investigation from which they concluded an FA charge was not possible (The Telegraph)
  6. Theatre company in harassment case to face intervention from Equality Commission – A theatre company that was at the centre of a sexual harassment case last year has become the first in the industry to sign a formal agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, promising to better protect its employees (The Stage)
  7. Professor sacked for warning students they might be called ‘gypos’ on tour – A professor sacked by the Royal Academy of Music for referring to violinists as ‘gypos’ has launched a legal bid to get her job back after winning her employment tribunal (Metro)
  8. Security guard was unfairly dismissed after submitting collective grievance letter – A hospital security officer was unfairly dismissed after lodging a grievance with his employer, which went on to fire him ‘in bad faith’, a tribunal has ruled (People Management Magazine)
  9. Demolition contractor fined after workers fall from excavator – A demolition contractor has been fined after two workers fell from an attachment on an excavator, resulting in serious injuries (HSE)
  10. Postal worker was not unfairly dismissed after leave of absence and sick pay dispute – A postal worker was not unfairly dismissed, but “chose to resign on short notice” after a dispute that arose after he returned from a career break, a tribunal has heard. (People Management Magazine)