Employment law stories in the news – 08.06.2020 to 14.06.2020

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 8 June 2020 and 14 June 2020

  1. Man fired after referring to bosses as ‘twit and twat’ – A sales executive has been fired after calling his bosses ‘twit and twat’ behind their backs. Dave Boulter claimed it was ‘banter’ when he sent an angry text to a customer mocking the two men, an employment tribunal heard (Metro)
  2. C of E accused of ‘utter hypocrisy’ over backing for Black Lives Matter – Church of England bishops have been accused of “utter hypocrisy” for publicly supporting the Black Lives Matter movement while failing to address racism in their dioceses (The Guardian)
  3. Teenager who was refused holiday pay and abused by boss of Preston firm receives £17,000 in tribunal payout – A Lancashire energy company has been penalised after it mistreated a teenage army veteran in its service (Lancashire Live)
  4. Defence chief demands action to counter armed forces racism – All armed forces personnel should see the potential in every recruit and refuse to allow intolerance, said the UK’s most senior military officer today (Personnel Today)
  5. Row escalates between Christ Church Dean and dons as Oxford college tries to distance itself from McDonald Centre – An ongoing row between the Dean of Christ Church and Oxford University dons has escalated following the college’s attempts to distance itself from a theological foundation headed up by one of the Dean’s staunchest allies (The Telegraph)
  6. ‘Volcanic’ swearing solicitor wins appeal over reducing harassment damages – A qualified barrister who endured ‘torrents of abuse’ from her solicitor employer could see her compensation reduced after a judge upheld an appeal against her £47,000 remedy (The Law Society Gazette)
  7. Windrush scandal victim receives a £20k payout after losing her job – A windrush scandal victim who lost her job after being branded an illegal immigrant has won £20,000 compensation (The Mirror)
  8. Babylon Health employee accused of blackmail over £100,000 demand – A senior employee of Babylon Health was accused of blackmail after he threatened to leak confidential documents that he claimed would “destroy” the online GP provider before a meeting with the Prime Minister (The Telegraph)
  9. British Airways’ treatment of staff ‘a disgrace’, say MPs – British Airways’ treatment of staff during the coronavirus crisis “is a national disgrace”, MPs have claimed. A Transport Select Committee report accuses the airline of a “calculated attempt to take advantage” of the pandemic by cutting thousands of jobs and downgrading terms and conditions (BBC)
  10. Manufacturing company fined after worker fatally injured – IFG Drake Ltd has been fined after a worker suffered fatal crush injuries whilst working on a machine at the site in Huddersfield (HSE)