Employment law cases in the news – 16.05.2016 to 22.05.2016
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 the news between 16 May and 22 May 2016
- Compensation for failure to give rest breaks does not include injury to feelings – In Santos Gomes v Higher Level Care Ltd, the EAT has held that compensation for failing to provide rest breaks under the Working Time Regulations 1998 SI 1998/1833 (WTR) does not extend to injury to feelings (ELA)
- Former Lincolnshire RAF pilot wins £400k compensation over alleged bullying – A former Lincolnshire RAF pilot has won a £400,000 compensation battle after quitting the army over alleged bullying. Reports say Sergeant Major Michael Booley, 50, who was Prince Harry’s flying instructor at RAF Cranwell, told a military court that top brass broke a string of promises over his career and forced him to resign (The Lincolnshire Echo)
- Banker failed to halt rogue account, tribunal told – A former Nomura banker has claimed that the Japanese investment bank failed to check whether the investor at the centre of the largest individual loss in the company’s history was authorised to trade, according to a witness statement at his employment tribunal (The Times)
- ‘Depressed’ judge fired for watching porn at work claims he was unfairly sacked – A judge fired for watching porn at work claims he was unfairly sacked because he was suffering depression. Dad-of-six Warren Grant, 61, was dismissed last year after regularly viewing hardcore clips on a laptop in his office (The Sun)
- Tribunal finds against payroll firm – A construction worker from Ely in Cambridgeshire has won an employment tribunal case against his payroll provider. The case centres on the deduction of employer’s national insurance from his wage packet and unpaid holiday pay. His union described the case as hugely significant (The Construction Index)
- Staff ‘sacked after voicing health and safety concerns’ – Workers at a supermarket distribution company were followed by private detectives, sacked for smoking an e-cigarette and fired for voicing health and safety concerns, a tribunal heard. The workers were employed at depots run by Wincanton PLC in Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (BBC)
- Ladbrokes staff raped and killed as firm saves millions of pounds by forcing staff to work alone – Betting firm Ladbrokes has been accused of putting “profits before lives” after one lone worker was killed and a second was raped. Dad-of-three Andrew Iocovou was battered to death by a gambler who lost money on its fixed-odds betting terminals a day earlier (The Mirror)
- Primary school teacher sacked for standing by her paedophile headmaster husband wins compensation for unfair dismissal – A primary school teacher sacked for standing by her paedophile headmaster husband after he was jailed over indecent images of children has won the right to thousands of pounds in compensation. Sarah Pendleton said her marriage vow was a ‘sacrosanct’ promise to God and refused to leave her husband Matthew after he was jailed for filming boys while they changed for swimming lessons (The Mail Online)
- Fair dismissal of line manager who refused workplace drug test – An employment tribunal rejected an unfair dismissal claim by a line manager who was sacked when he refused to take a workplace drug test. His responsibility for enforcing the employer’s drug and alcohol testing policy meant that he should have set an example (Personnel Today)
- Tribunal over Carneiro looms for former Chelsea manager – José Mourinho’s first public appearance as Manchester United manager could well be at an employment tribunal defending his actions at Chelsea. The Portuguese is due to appear at the London South Employment Tribunal in Croydon on June 6 to defend himself against a constructive dismissal claim from the former Chelsea doctor, Eva Carneiro (The Times)