Employment law stories in the news – 19.09.2016 to 25.09.2016

redmans-blog-newsIn 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 19 September and 25 September 2016

  1. BBC journalist who was sacked after he refused to publish a report on Prince George’s birth wins a £50,000 payout for unfair dismissal – A BBC journalist sacked after he refused to publish a report on Prince George’s birth has won a £50,000 payout.  Chandana Keerthi Bandara, 57, lost his job as a producer on a BBC Sri Lankan news service, and sued the corporation for unfair dismissal and race discrimination (The Daily Mail)
  2. Period pain affects ‘most women workers’ – Most women workers have experienced period pain that affects their ability to work, a survey suggests. A YouGov survey of 1,000 women for BBC Radio 5 live’s Emma Barnett programme found 52% had, but only 27% had told their boss period pain was responsible (BBC)
  3. Star company of BBC series prosecuted over worker injury – A Bolton based scrapyard that featured in a recent BBC documentary series has been sentenced after an employee suffered facial injuries at work. Vehicle breakers firm, The Scrappers Ltd and Terry Walker, a consultant for the company, appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester where they denied breaches of health and safety law (HSE)
  4. Riots hero cop sues West Midlands Police after being moved from firearms unit to dog kennels – The hero cop who led armed police during the siege of the Bartons Arms at the height of the Birmingham riots is suing West Midlands Police – after being transferred from the crackshot team to the force’s dog kennels (The Birmingham Mail)
  5. Government facing JR over equality advice helpline contract – The government could face High Court action if it does not set aside the contract it has awarded to G4S to operate the national discrimination advice helpline, a UK charity has warned. The Law Centres Network (LCN) has sent a letter before action to Whitehall seeking a new tender process, correcting faults in the previous one (The Solicitors Journal)
  6. MPs probe excessive pay as L&G calls on boards to compare bosses to the average – MPs have launched a new inquiry into executive pay and corporate governance in the wake of high-profile hearings on Sports Direct and BHS, as Theresa May prepares major reforms, such as employee representation on boards (The Telegraph)
  7. Denise Aubrey tribunal: Northumbria Police legal bill tops £570,000 – A police force spent more than half a million pounds defending itself against claims of unfair dismissal, harassment and discrimination. Former Northumbria Police head of legal services Denise Aubrey, 54, was sacked for gross misconduct in 2014 and lost an employment tribunal case last month (BBC)
  8. Hemel Hempstead manufacturer fined £1m following worker’s death – A manufacturing company based in Hemel Hempstead has been fined £1million after a worker was crushed to death by falling machinery. Colin Reddish, 48, from Lincolnshire was involved in moving a large CNC milling machine within the company’s Grantham factory on 30th April 2015 when it overturned and killed him (HSE)
  9. Tattoos shouldn’t be a barrier to hiring, says employer advice group – Employers have been warned they could be missing out on top staff because they are rejecting candidates with tattoos. The conciliation service Acas said negative attitudes about visible tattoos are outdated (BBC)
  10. ‘At least’ £46m spent on public sector staff suspended on full pay – At least £46 million of taxpayers’ money has been spent on public sector staff suspended on full pay over the past three years, according to a new investigation (The Shropshire Star)