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
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- ‘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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)