Employment law cases in the news – 13.07.2015 to 19.07.2015
In the latest of our series of posts on employment law cases in the news, we take a look at ten employment law cases that have made headlines between 13 July and 19 July 2015
- Morrisons employee accused of leaking data on 100,000 supermarket staff because he bore a “grudge” against company – A Morrisons employee from Liverpool posted sensitive, personal data relating to almost 100,000 of the supermarket’s staff on the internet and sent it to newspapers due to a “grudge”, a jury has been told. Prosecutors said Andrew Skelton, 43, leaked the information in response to a warning he was given after the company found out he used the mail room at Morrison’s HQ, in Bradford, West Yorkshire, to send out eBay packages (The Liverpool Echo)
- BGC Broker in Racism Case Says Joking in E-Mails Cut Stress – A BGC Partners Inc. broker accused of sending racist e-mails said “inappropriate” messages are a typical part of life on London’s trading desks as under-pressure workers attempt to lighten the mood.
Boris Lefebvre, a manager accused of depicting former BGC broker Ramesh Kumaran as Apu from the cartoon “The Simpsons” in messages, said that Kumaran “participated in sending this type of e-mail to the desk” and reacted with “amusement and laughter” (Bloomberg) - Managing director claims unfair dismissal amidst allegations of racism, tribunal hears – The relationship between a well-known Nottingham businessman and his managing director turned sour amidst allegations of racism, a tribunal heard. Jot Engelbrecht was fired from his role as MD of Octavian Security in August last year, following claims he had used the “n-word” in front of colleagues (The Nottingham Post)
- Academic takes Bristol to tribunal over ‘grant income sacking’ – A former lecturer at the University of Bristol has lodged an employment tribunal case against her dismissal for allegedly not securing enough grant income. Alison Hayman had been a lecturer in connective tissue biology since 2000 before being dismissed last October. In a statement written for her reinstatement campaign – whose associated petition has attracted 1,800 signatures – she says that she was happy to remain a lecturer but was required to apply for promotion when she reached the top of the pay scale for lecturers (The Times Higher Education Supplement)
- Elite firearms officer sues police over ‘traumatic high speed motorbike crash’ – A firearms officer who helped protect Prince Charles and Tony Blair is suing the Met police for disability discrimination after a “traumatic high-speed” motorbike accident left him “severely” mentally ill. PC Finlay Buchanan, of the elite Diplomatic Protection Group (SO6), claims he still suffers post-traumatic stress disorder and “nightmares” as a result of the crash (The Evening Standard)
- Fringe actors lose minimum wage case – A group of actors have lost an employment tribunal case after claiming they should be paid the minimum wage for appearing in a fringe theatre play. The five performers starred in David Edgar’s Pentecost in an 80-seat east London church in 2012 (BBC)
- Officer taken off armed police watch due to failing shoots, not race, tribunal hears – A VIP protection officer had his firearms status taken away by a superior at Cleveland Police due his shooting record and not his race, a Chief Inspector told a tribunal. Chief Inspector Mick Robson, of Cleveland Police, said that he had decided to remove PC Nadeem Saddique’s status as a firearms officer after he failed a shoot (The Darlington and Stockton Times)
- Solicitor’s age bias claim rejected – A 53-year-old solicitor who took action against top-100 firm Foot Anstey for alleged age discrimination has lost his case. After a six-day hearing in May, the Cardiff Employment Tribunal ruled that Tracy Fennell’s claim was not well founded. Fennell, who was represented by south-west firm Kitsons, was with Foot Anstey for almost three years and led its corporate transaction team in Bristol (The Law Society Gazette)
- Three Shropshire Sainsbury’s workers leading battle for equal pay – The store is facing legal action from four female shopfloor workers who claim they are paid less than men to do equally valuable jobs at the supermarket chain. The case, which will be the subject of a preliminary hearing at a Birmingham employment tribunal on Friday, comes as a similar legal action involving 6,000 female Asda employees remains to be settled (The Shropshire Star)
- Barrister loses racial discrimination claim against MoJ – A barrister employed by HM Courts and Tribunal Service has lost a claim that he was racially discriminated against by being moved to another court ‘under a cloud’. Appealing an employment tribunal ruling, Haras Ahmed alleged racial discrimination after he was targeted in an investigation into fraud at the magistrates’ court where he was working (The Law Society Gazette)