Employment law stories in the news – 15.10.2018 to 21.10.2018

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 15 October 2018 and 21 October 2018

  1. Steel fabricator fined after young construction worker falls from height – A North Devon-based steel fabricator has been sentenced after a young employee fell through a fragile roof whilst at work (HSE)
  2. The £20,000 fart? Tesco worker sues chain after work colleague broke wind in his face – A Tesco worker is suing the supermarket chain for harassment and race discrimination after a colleague “broke wind in his face” (Evening Standard)
  3. Antrim man told he was too old for job awarded £3,000 – A man who said he was told that he was too old to apply for a job as a store person/van driver has been awarded £3,000 by an industrial tribunal (BBC)
  4. Glasgow: thousands of women to strike over pay discrimination – Thousands of women council workers across Glasgow plan to bring the city to a standstill this week in what is believed to be the biggest equal pay strike seen in the UK (The Guardian)
  5. Tribunal claims rise as progress made on plugging judicial gap – The number of people seeking to bring claims against their employer continues to rise sharply, as the judiciary moves forward on its recruitment spree for tribunal judges (The Law Society Gazette)
  6. Interviewee, 67, denied job because of age discrimination – A 67-year-old man who did not get a job as a park keeper was discriminated against because of his age, a judge has ruled. David James, of Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, had a “growing sense of injustice” following an interview with Coedffranc Community Council (BBC)
  7. Wembley decision unrelated to allegations against Fulham, says Khan – The Fulham and Jacksonville Jaguars owner, Shahid Khan, has said the withdrawal of his £600m offer to buy Wembley stadium had nothing to do with the allegations being made against Fulham by Craig Kline, the club’s former assistant director of football (The Guardian)
  8. Police Scotland inspector in firearms sexism row – Police Scotland is facing a sexism row after an inspector said female firearms officers should not be deployed together if men were available (BBC)
  9. Gagging orders ‘irrelevant’ in City harassment cases, says FCA – Blowing the whistle on sexual harassment would trump any gagging orders a bank had imposed on employees, the UK’s financial watchdog warned. The Financial Conduct Authority has pledged to take a tougher line on bullying and sexual harassment at City companies it regulates, even though such misconduct is not explicitly in its mandate (The Financial Times)
  10. Nottingham Prison tribunal: Whistleblower ‘silenced’ – A former prison officer claims she was “silenced” and unfairly dismissed after speaking out about violence and drugs at a jail with a “tragic and appalling” suicide rate (BBC)