Employment law stories in the news – 14.05.2018 to 20.05.2018

In the latest of our series of posts on employment law stories in the news we examine nine employment law stories that have made headlines between 14 May and 20 May 2018

  1. York teacher fired over film wins £646k payout – A teacher who was sacked for showing the horror film Halloween to a class of 15-year-old pupils has won a £646,000 payout for disability discrimination. Philip Grosset, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, was fired from the Joseph Rowntree School, in York, in 2014, on the grounds of gross misconduct (BBC)
  2. Demolition company fined after worker struck by concrete panel – A Demolition company has been fined after a worker suffered multiple injuries when he was struck by a concrete spandrel panel. Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how Vale Park Demolition Services Limited was contracted to demolish a link bridge structure at Littleborough Primary School, Rochdale (HSE)
  3. Paying more maternity pay than shared parental pay may be indirect sex discrimination – A recent Employment Appeal Tribunal case concluded that paying more maternity pay to women than shared paternity pay to men may constitute indirect sex discrimination (Lexology)
  4. Airport director loses legal fight amid claims bribery – A former finance director at Prestwick Airport who claims he was sacked after exposing allegations of fraud, bribery and collusion at the site has lost his fight to keep his job (Herald Scotland)
  5. Gig economy union seeks to raise £50,000 to fund Deliveroo fight – A union representing workers in the gig economy is aiming to raise £50,000 to fund its continuing fight against Deliveroo as it battles for financial survival (The Guardian)
  6. Down in the dumps at TSB thanks to lost server – Amid the focus on the TSB’s IT woes, a January employment tribunal involving the former manager of its Northampton branch has come to light. She claimed the lender acted unfairly in demoting her — after blaming her for the accidental dumping of the branch’s computer server containing customer information (The Times)
  7. Victim at scandal-hit charity chaired by aspiring Labour candidate never received her £75,000 compensation – A woman who was sexually harassed and victimised at a charity chaired by would-be Labour candidate Asim Khan has never received her £75,000 compensation (Herald Scotland)
  8. Glasgow City Council staff to take equal-pay claim back to tribunal – When Glasgow City Council vowed in January to negotiate an equal pay settlement rather than continue to fight current and former employees in the courts, it seemed that a legal dispute that had rumbled on for over a decade was finally going to be resolved (Herald Scotland)
  9. NHS chiefs forced to hand £55,000 to whistleblowing doctor they tried to stop having his day in court – NHS chiefs have been forced to hand over £55,000 to a whistleblowing doctor who they tried to stop having his day in court. The humiliating legal bill is part of an astonishing saga that looks set to last four years and cost taxpayers more than £200,000 (The Mirror)