Employment law stories in the news – 14.12.2020 to 20.12.2020

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 14 December 2020 and 20 December 2020

  1. Waste firm pays £105,000 after racially abusing employee – A waste firm must pay more than £105,000 to a black employee who was racially abused and unfairly dismissed (MRW)
  2. Rafiq files legal complaint against Yorkshire over race row – Former Yorkshire captain Azeem Rafiq has filed a legal complaint against the English team after claiming direct discrimination and harassment on the grounds of race (Yahoo)
  3. Christian boss ‘bullied over gay marriage stance’ – A Christian chief executive was subjected to bullying, hostility and harassment because of his opposition to gay marriage, an employment tribunal has been told (The Times)
  4. Interim exit cap guidance allows relaxation on ‘compassionate’ grounds – Councils can seek to exempt employees facing redundancy from the new £95,000 public sector exit cap if they would face “genuine hardship” or their exit is “necessary” for “urgent workplace reforms”, ministers have agreed (LGC Plus)
  5. Victimised union activist wins tribunal case against outsourcing firm – A union activist victimised by a private outsourcing company working for Wakefield Council in West Yorkshire has won her claim of unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal (The Morning Star)
  6. RentPlus employee suffers sexual discrimination at Plymouth firm – A Plymouth housing firm has been ordered to pay a female executive £60,000 after she suffered sexual discrimination and ageism, a tribunal judge has ruled (The Plymouth Herald)
  7. DWP signs legally binding agreement to improve equality and diversity in the workplace – The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has entered a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) after a former DWP employee won her claim of direct discrimination on the basis of age and race, racial harassment and victimisation (Politics Home)
  8. MPs demand that BBC reveals how much it has spent on lawyers in fights against equal pay and race discrimination claims – MPs have demanded that the BBC reveal how much it spent countering claims of equal pay and race discrimination (The Daily Mail)
  9. Bolton postman loses sickness absence fight with Royal Mail – A postman under threat of suspended dismissal for failing to deliver mail was later sacked for his attitude after going off sick, a tribunal heard (The Bolton News)
  10. Met Police officer sues over ‘sexual and racist’ texts – An Asian police officer is suing the Met Police for sexual harassment and discrimination after receiving “hundreds” of racist and sexist messages from a senior colleague (BBC)