Employment law stories in the news – 30.09.2019 to 06.10.2019

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 made headlines between 30 September 2019 and 6 October 2019

  1. Shoemaker Clarks wins employment tribunal claim against former chief – Shoe retailer Clarks won an employment tribunal claim against its former chief executive, who had claimed he was forced out after questioning its corporate governance practices (Financial Times)
  2. Caerphilly council chief to appeal sacking after £4m pay saga – A council chief who was sacked after being suspended on full pay for more than six years has said he will appeal the decision. Anthony O’Sullivan, the former chief executive of Caerphilly council, said he had “nothing to apologise for” (BBC)
  3. Tesco employees in Scotland ‘could be entitled to’ £306 million in equal pay claim – Female Tesco employees in Scotland could be entitled to back pay of £306 million, according to a map of claims published by a group fighting for “equal pay” at the supermarket (The Scotsman)
  4. Exeter air traffic controller suffered PTSD after two aircraft nearly collided – An air traffic controller who witnessed two aircrafts almost collide and was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), lodged a case of unfair dismissal (Devon Live)
  5. Female high flyers start #MeToo-style pay campaign – A group of 100 of the UK’s most successful businesswomen have launched a campaign to close the gender pay gap. Some of corporate Britain’s biggest names are behind the #MeTooPay initiative including Dame Minouche Shafik, potentially the Bank of England’s next governor, and GSK boss Emma Walmsle (BBC)
  6. Seyi Omooba: Actor fired over ‘homophobic’ comments plans to sue for religious discrimination – Actor Seyi Omooba has said she is planning to sue a theatre and her former agents after she was fired from the play The Color Purple over a “homophobic” Facebook post (The Independent)
  7. Woman was unfairly dismissed after successful IVF treatment, tribunal rules – An administrative assistant who underwent IVF treatment was unfairly dismissed and discriminated against by her employer after she told her boss she was pregnant, an employment tribunal (ET) has unanimously ruled (People Management)
  8. Ex-Thomas Cook workers step up efforts for legal compensation – Former employees of collapsed travel group Thomas Cook on Monday stepped up efforts to gain compensation after losing their jobs, holding protests and pressing ahead with legal claims (Financial Times)
  9. Christian Doctor Who Refused To Use Preferred Pronouns For Trans Patients Loses Tribunal – A Christian doctor who refused to call a transgender women “she” has lost his employment tribunal. David Mackereth claims he was sacked from his role with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) after saying he would not “call any 6ft tall bearded man madam” during an “abstract discussion” with his manager (Huffington Post)
  10. Steel company fined £1.8m after two engineers died in an explosion – Celsa Manufacturing (UK) Ltd have today been fined after an explosion killed two workers and seriously injured another at the Celsa Steelworks site in Cardiff. A Health and Safety Executive investigation found the explosion would have come without warning to employees Peter O’Brien and Mark Sim, who died at the company’s Rod and Bar Mill. Darren Wood, another employee, also suffered serious injuries (HSE)