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
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)