Employment law stories in the news – 26.11.2018 to 02.12.2018

In the latest of our posts on employment law stories in the news we take a look at ten employment law stories which have made headlines between 26 November 2018 and 2 December 2018

  1. NHS whistleblower forced to withdraw claims after being threatened with ‘life changing’ costs – A junior doctor has been forced to withdraw whistleblowing allegations against the NHS claiming he was threatened with ‘life-changing’ legal costs if he lost the case (The Telegraph)
  2. Patisserie Valerie sued over bonuses – The former marketing chief of Patisserie Valerie is suing the troubled bakery chain for £325,000 in a claim over the non-payment of bonuses that is critical of the company’s management (The Times)
  3. Ted Baker staff launch petition over ‘forced hugging’ – Staff at fashion group Ted Baker allege there is a culture of “forced hugging” by the firm’s founder and boss, which they are now demanding be ended. A petition, launched by an employee, also accuses 62-year-old Ray Kelvin of inappropriate comments and behaviour (BBC)
  4. Employers warned over supporting workers with cancer – Employers in Wales could be breaking the law if they do not support people with cancer, a charity has warned. Macmillan Cancer Support said it has seen a ‘staggering’ increase in the number of cancer sufferers seeking help for work-related issues (BBC)
  5. Born Again Christian teacher wins £10k payout after Cavendish School of English incident – A born Again Christian teacher has been awarded more than £10,000 after complaining she was victimised for her religion in a Bournemouth staff room incident allegedly including atheists and Muslims (Bournemouth Echo)
  6. Human rights law ‘trumping’ state and diplomatic immunity – Courts and tribunals are beginning to rule that the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) ‘trumps public international law’, a specialist in international public law claimed last night (Law Society Gazette)
  7. Union claims council ‘secretly’ rewarded staff that did not strike – Birmingham City Council refuse workers are considering whether to go on strike, following allegations that the council “secretly” paid several thousands of pounds to a group of staff that did not take part in industrial action last year (Personnel Today)
  8. Employment tribunal hearing delays rise to seven months – Employers had to wait almost seven months last year before a tribunal claim against them could be heard, as the number of claims continued to rise following the abolition of tribunal fees (Personnel Today)
  9. Lawyer dismisses top surgeon’s claim of NHS Grampian mistreatment as ‘conspiracy theory’ – An employment tribunal has been urged to discount “conspiracy theories” about NHS bosses forcing a veteran surgeon out of his job. Dr Nick Renny believes he was targeted unfairly by management after siding with an Aberdeen Royal Infirmary colleague who successfully sued for £100,000 more than a decade ago after being racially abused (The Press and Journal)
  10. Three companies fined after security guard killed – Associated British Ports, DFDS Seaways PLC and ICTS (UK) Ltd have today been fined after a security guard was fatally injured when he was struck by an articulated vehicle (HSE)