Employment law stories in the news – 29.02.2016 to 06.03.2016

redmans-blog-newsIn 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 29 February 2016 and 6 March 2016

  1. ‘Unholy row’ caused NHS Grampian nurse to resign – A tribunal heard yesterday that an “unholy row” at a meeting with her NHS Grampian colleagues was one of the main reasons for a former hospital nurse resigning from her post. Anne Croft, who was employed as a nurse by the regional health board, claimed she was forced to quit after being bullied by surgeons and her fellow nurses at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (Press & Journal)
  2. Blockbuster creditors to get £2m extra in next six months – Creditors for video rental store Blockbuster are to receive an extra £2m pay-out, as employment tribunal claims against the company are given the go-ahead to begin (The Telegraph)
  3. Company fined after worker injured by machinery – A Swansea company which manufactures plastic sheeting has been fined after an employee suffered serious injury when his hand was caught and dragged into machinery (HSE)
  4. Npower to cut up to 2,500 jobs in UK and overseas – Npower, one of Britain’s largest energy companies, is expected to announce up to 2,500 job cuts in the UK and overseas this week after being blighted by an exodus of customers, turbulent world energy markets and embarrassing customer billing problems (The Guardian)
  5. SSI Redcar steelworkers given £6.25m compensation payout by employment judge – Former steelworkers at the mothballed SSI Redcar plant have been awarded a share of £6.25m by an employment judge. The compensation package was awarded because of a “lack of consultation” ahead of the plant’s closure in September (The Mirror)
  6. Court holds Morrisons liable for attack by worker – Morrisons supermarket is liable for the actions of a staff member who physically attacked a customer, the Supreme Court has ruled. According to court documents, Amjid Khan was working at a Morrisons petrol station in Birmingham in 2008 when he punched and kicked Ahmed Mohamud (BBC)
  7. Bristol firm plans to give women time off for periods – A company is planning to introduce a “period policy” to allow female staff to work flexibly around their menstrual cycles. Co-Exist in Bristol says women will be allowed to take time off during their period and make up the time later (BBC)
  8. Christian NHS worker back in court over sharing faith with colleague – A Christian occupational therapist is going back to court to appeal a decision which said she was right to be disciplined by bosses after sharing her faith with a Muslim colleague. East London NHS Foundation Trust gave Victoria Wasteney a written warning and suspended her for nine months, after she prayed with a Muslim colleague and gave her a book about Christianity (Premier)
  9. HSE to administer Crown Censure to MoD over Brecon Beacons training exercise deaths – The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced it will administer a Crown Censure to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) over the deaths of three soldiers on a training exercise in the Brecon Beacons in July 2013 (HSE)
  10. Bus bosses locked in board battle set for £80,000 each – Two directors at Lothian Buses who became embroiled in a damaging boardroom row are set to each receive bonuses worth £80,000. Engineering director Bill Devlin and finance director Norman Strachan launched an action against Edinburgh Council through an employment tribunal after being told their bonuses would not be paid (Herald Scotland)