Employment law stories in the news – 25.06.2018 to 01.07.2018

In the latest of our series of posts on employment law stories in the news, we take a look at ten employment law-related stories that have made headlines between 25 June and 1 July 2018

  1. Company fined after workers suffer serious leg injuries – An engineering company was sentenced today after two employees were seriously injured during work to dispose of old gas cylinders at the company’s site in Hull (HSE)
  2. IT worker, 53, sues university for sex discrimination after he was ‘bullied and screamed at by female colleagues who made his life hell – A university has been sued by a 53-year-old man who claimed he was bullied, screamed and shouted at by female colleagues who made his life hell (The Mail Online)
  3. Pizza shop worker who couldn’t prove right to work was entitled to appeal dismissal – A pizza shop trainee manager who was dismissed after failing to produce documents proving he was entitled to work in the UK should have been allowed to appeal the decision, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has decided (People Management)
  4. Sex disputes in London rise significantly post-Weinstein – Companies in the Square Mile settled twice as many sexual discrimination cases in the six months after the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke than before, in a sign the #MeToo movement has emboldened women to speak out against an alpha male culture (FN London)
  5. Ex-manager Jim Chapman sues Clyde FC for £30k – The former manager of Clyde FC is suing the cash-strapped club for almost £30,000 for breach of contract. Jim Chapman was just five months into his two-year contract with the Cumbernauld side when he left the club in October last year after a run of poor results (Herald Scotland)
  6. Hermes couriers deemed workers and not self-employed in ‘landmark’ tribunal ruling – Hermes couriers are workers and not self-employed, according to an employment tribunal ruling. A group of 65 Hermes couriers took the delivery service to the tribunal after they said they had been denied basic workers’ rights (The Independent)
  7. Company fined after worker fell down a lift shaft – A  care home was sentenced after an employee suffered significant injuries after falling around 1.5 metres down a lift shaft (HSE)
  8. Council staff drop multi-million legal claims against Birmingham City Council – A multi-million pound raft of legal claims over sex discrimination have been dropped by Birmingham City Council workers without explanation. Employment tribunal records show 146 claims were dismissed after being withdrawn by the claimants (LocalGov)
  9. Zero-hours worker entitled to £4,000 despite finding another job – A college student on a zero-hours contract is due more than £4,000 in unpaid wages, despite taking up a new full-time job midway through a nine-month suspension from her role, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has decided (People Management)
  10. Deliveroo couriers win six-figure payout in employment rights case – A group of 50 Deliveroo couriers will share a six-figure payout from the takeaway delivery firm in a settlement of an employment rights claim. The riders, who were represented by the law firm Leigh Day, argued that they had been unlawfully denied rights, including the legal minimum wage and paid holiday, after being labelled self-employed contractors (The Guardian)