Employment law stories in the news – 26.07.2021 to 01.08.2021

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 26 July 2021 and 1 August 2021

  1. Christian CEO fired over views on marriage wins religious discrimination case – A court in Scotland has ruled in favor of a Christian CEO who they said was unjustly fired by the country’s biggest grant-making trust because of his Christian views on marriage (Christian Post)
  2. Sacked medical firm manager who told bosses he was ‘sick and wanted to check on his pregnant girlfriend’ to catch holiday flight before being pictured hours later at an airport with a burger and a pint, loses unfair dismissal claim – A medical firm manager who was sacked after telling bosses he was ‘sick and wanted to check on his pregnant girlfriend’ but was pictured hours later at an airport with a burger and a pint has lost an unfair dismissal claim (Daily Mail)
  3. Former Robertson Trust boss wins tribunal over same-sex marriage views – Scotland’s biggest independent grant-making charity will be ordered to pay damages to its former chief executive after a tribunal ruled that he was discriminated against for opposing gay marriage (The Sunday Times)
  4. Calling someone ‘grandma’ at work ruled discrimination even if they are one – It is ‘direct discrimination’ to call someone a grandparent at work, even if they are one, an employment tribunal has ruled. Anne Dopson, 62, launched legal action after taking offence at being called a ‘grandmother’ in a car review for a Renault Kadjar (Metro)
  5. Claimants alleging discrimination must provide evidence at an employment tribunal, Supreme Court rules – The Supreme Court has ruled that someone making an allegation of discrimination at an employment tribunal (ET) must have some evidence to prove any detriment was caused by such acts in the first instance (People Management)
  6. Carphone Warehouse boss told black worker, 22, ‘not to speak to customers in Kensington as if they were from Brixton’, tribunal hears as he wins race discrimination claim – A young black Carphone Warehouse worker has won a race discrimination claim after his boss told him not to speak to customers in Kensington as if they were from Brixton (Daily Mail)
  7. Charity that provides accessible books ordered to pay £41,000 to unfairly dismissed employee – A charity that provides accessible books for visually impaired people has been told to pay more than £41,000 to a former employee it unfairly dismissed (Third Sector)
  8. Law firm worker’s ‘self-isolate’ dismissal claim ruled out of time – A former employee of a law firm, who alleges she was sacked because she was advised to self-isolate during lockdown, has had her claim dismissed by the employment tribunal because it was out of time (The Law Society Gazette)
  9. Man dismissed over Highlands school Legionella concerns – A manager was constructively dismissed unfairly after raising concerns about a potentially harmful bug in school water supplies, a judge has decided (BBC)
  10. Boots worker who told a customer who did not speak good English ‘I don’t speak Taliban’ loses constructive dismissal claim – A Boots worker appalled onlookers by telling a customer who did not speak good English ‘I don’t speak Taliban’, an employment tribunal heard (Daily Mail)