Employment law stories in the news – 13.06.2022 to 19.06.2022

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 13 June 2022 and 19 June 2022

  1. Care home worker with ‘no filter’ who was suspended after joking that a colleague wearing red lipstick ‘looked like a prostitute’ wins almost £10,000 at tribunal – But Ms Greatorex is now in line to receive £9,899.15 compensation for constructive unfair dismissal after the panel found the complaints against her had not been investigated properly (DailyMail)
  2. Christian factory worker fired for refusing to take off crucifix necklace wins £22K – Jevgenijs Kovalkovs felt wearing the cross – which was a gift from his mother – close to the chest signified his ‘commitment to his belief’ (WalesOnline)
  3. House matron at top grammar school told self-harming student she had ‘more important things to deal with’, tribunal hears – Barbara Shiells was sacked from her role at Ripon Grammar School in North Yorkshire after receiving an ‘unprecedented’ number of complaints about her ‘behaviour, attitude, professionalism and ability’ (DailyMail)
  4. Sacked Swansea University academic claims his dismissal was ‘not reasonable’, tribunal hears – An academic who was sacked for gross misconduct by Swansea University for seeking to gain personally with equity stakes in the £200m Life Sciences and Wellness Village project said the university was “not reasonable” to dismiss him, an employment tribunal has heard (WalesOnline)
  5. Doncaster mum wins £17,000 following sex discrimination tribunal against One Call Claims – Roxy Powell took the Carolina Court firm to court after bosses refused to alter her shift patterns by just a matter of minutes to pick her child up from nursery (Doncaster Free Press)
  6. Heathrow airport worker with ‘banter in his blood’ wins unfair dismissal payout after pranks with his boss turned into bitter feud – Krishan Bhardwaj and manager James Lee were engaged in a playful working relationship which went too far, an employment tribunal heard (DailyMail)
  7. Shop assistant awarded £12,000 after boss called her trainers ‘horrid orange things’ – she wear something more ‘fashionable’ like Converse – An employment tribunal ruled Mrs Sherburn had no reason to criticise Samantha’s trainers and had therefore unfairly dismissed her, which led to her receiving £12,000 in compensation (LeicestershireLive)
  8. ‘Militant’ vegan veterinary nurse who was sacked from her job after police raid found rescued turkey in her flat LOSES lawsuit after judge ruled her ethical veganism was NOT a philosophical belief – Shakira Free Miles had taken the ‘unwell’ bird to a veterinary hospital two days after Christmas Day and had then kept it in her university-provided flat, an employment tribunal was told (DailyMail)
  9. Footballer felt ‘unsupported’ by club after racism during game, tribunal told – Rico Quitongo has taken his former club Airdriedonians FC and one of its directors, Paul Hetherington, to the tribunal over allegations of racial discrimination (Express & Star)
  10. Sexist male Network Rail staff discriminated against their female colleague by watching porn at work, asking her about oral sex and ‘deliberately using the word c*** around her’, tribunal rules – Rowena Owens was subjected to ‘extreme sexism’ by at least 16 colleagues at the male-dominated signal centre in Wimbledon, London, where they worked (DailyMail)