Employment law stories in the news – 25.09.2017 to 01.10.2017

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 25 September 2017 and 1 October 2017

  1. Construction company and project manager fined after multiple safety failings – A London-based construction company and project manager have been fined for repeatedly failing to manage and control multiple risks. Reading Magistrates’ Court heard how, after concerns were raised by both workers and members of the public, HSE inspectors made a number of visits during 2015 to two project sites where In House Design & Build Ltd was the principal contractor and identified a number of serious health and safety failings (HSE)
  2. Uber in landmark appeal after workers’ rights ruling – Uber is set to fight a landmark ruling that said its drivers must be given basic workers’ rights. In October, drivers James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam went to an employment tribunal saying they should be classed as workers, with access to the minimum wage, sick pay and paid holiday (Sky News)
  3. Cleaners at luxury car showroom ‘suspended after asking for pay rise to £9.75 an hour’ – A married couple who clean luxury car showrooms in Kensington have reportedly been suspended without pay after asking for the living wage (The Metro)
  4. UK pay data force companies to mind the gender gap – Time is running out for UK employers, who have to dig into their payroll data and reveal their gender pay gaps by next spring (The Financial Times)
  5. Leniency call for ‘overworked’ employees facing manslaughter sentence – Employers who disregard the safety of employees should face tougher sentences for manslaughter if they ignored previous warnings, the Law Society has suggested (The Law Society Gazette)
  6. Council to backdate staff pay following landmark ruling – Cheshire East Council is today announcing proposals to backdate pay to staff following a landmark legal ruling on the National Minimum Wage. This ruling applies to rates of pay for workers who are required to work ‘sleep-in shifts’. This is where an individual is required to be on duty and is considered to be ‘at work’ even if sleeping (The Crewe Chronicle)
  7. Women ‘more likely to be paid less than minimum wage’ – Women make up the majority of workers whose employers fail to pay them the minimum wage, according to a report. The Low Pay Commission – which advises the government on minimum wage levels – says women are also the least likely to complain about underpayment (BBC)
  8. Company and directors fined after multiple safety failings – A recycling company and its two directors have been prosecuted after multiple safety failings. Northampton Crown Court heard how Monoworld Recycling had failed to manage risks when its staff worked at height, failed to suitably maintain work equipment and failed to control risks from electrical systems (HSE)
  9. Uber faces sex discrimination case in UK – Uber faces another legal battle in London after a female driver issued sex discrimination proceedings against the ride-hailing app, saying the way it operates puts women at risk (The Financial Times)
  10. Woman who said she was hit with her own contract drops tribunal claim – A former manager at a Knightsbridge investment office has dropped her claim for unfair dismissal in which she alleged she was literally hit with her own contract (The Evening Standard)