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
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)