Employment law stories in the news – 26.04.2021 to 02.05.2021

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 have made headlines between 26 April 2021 and 2 May 2021

  1. Equalities watchdog says ‘gender critical’ views should be protected beliefs – the UK’s equality watchdog has said anti-trans views should be considered a form of protected speech under the Equalities Act, and has warned that the outcome of an ongoing Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) could undermine freedom of speech (People Management)
  2. Man forced out of job after 40 years while battling cancer wins £2.5m payout – Former KBR employee David Barrow has been awarded more than £2.5m after his employer’s decision to dismiss him for discriminatory reasons (City AM)
  3. Baroness Mone’s housekeeper wins £22,000 payout – A former housekeeper at the Isle of Man mansion of the lingerie tycoon and Conservative peer Baroness Mone has been awarded more than £22,000 after being unfairly sacked (The Times)
  4. Barts Health NHS Trust apologises after paying senior manager almost £20,000 in compensation – Barts Health Trust has apologised after an employment tribunal ruled that they must pay a senior manager who was unfairly sacked £19,751, according to the Health Service Journal (Voice Online)
  5. Burnt-out top-50 boss discriminated against by ‘insensitive’ firm – A burnt-out managing partner suffered discrimination because his firm failed to understand his condition and act accordingly, a tribunal has concluded (Law Society Gazette)
  6. Gym trainer with fear of bodily fluids who refused to handle dirty towels was discriminated against, tribunal rules – A gym trainer with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and a phobia of coming into contact with bodily fluids was discriminated against after she refused to pick up sweaty towels, an employment tribunal has found (People Management)
  7. Woman with breast cancer told she was ‘lucky to have boob job’ – A woman with breast cancer has won a tribunal after her boss said she was lucky to have a “free NHS boob job”. A tribunal heard Aggie Kownacka, who worked for Textbook Teachers in Rutland, was asked by manager Sharon Paul why she needed time off, as “it’s only early stages of cancer” (BBC)
  8. Post Office facing £400million compensation bill if workers win Uber-style pay row – The Post Office has warned it could require a bailout of potentially hundreds of millions of pounds if it loses a major workers’ rights court case in June (The Mirror)
  9. Law firm boss who ‘ran for the hills’ was fairly dismissed, rules EAT – A law firm’s decision to sack its chief executive was not influenced by his blowing the whistle on alleged financial irregularities, an employment appeal tribunal has ruled (Law Society Gazette)
  10. Care worker sacked over Facebook post saying there were ‘no decent honest Muslims’ wins unfair dismissal case but gets no payout – A care worker who was sacked over a post on her Facebook calling Muslims ‘fanatical bigots’ has won a case for unfair dismissal, but has been given no payout (The Daily Mail)
  11. Lidl caretaker who was sacked after showing off his ‘Nazi swastika’ tattoo at work wins unfair dismissal claim as judge rules he should have been given a ‘stern warning’ instead – A supermarket employee who showed off his ‘swastika’ tattoo at work has won his unfair dismissal case after a judge ruled he should have been give a ‘stern warning’ instead (The Daily Mail)
  12. Curtin & Co found guilty of discriminating against former employee on maternity leave – An employment tribunal has ruled that the public affairs consultancy discriminated against a former employee and whistleblower while she was taking maternity leave, including providing false assurances that her job was safe. However, several other claims, including unfair dismissal, were dismissed (PR Week)