Employment law stories in the news – 31.05.2021 to 06.06.2021

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 31 May 2021 and 6 June 2021

  1. European law applies to Tesco equal pay case, court rules – Tesco employees are a step closer to victory in their equal pay claim against the supermarket, after European court rules that EU law can be relied upon (People Management)
  2. Low-paid workers at greatest risk of redundancy – Low-paid workers are at greatest risk of losing their jobs when the government’s furlough scheme closes, according to analysis by the Resolution Foundation (Personnel Today)
  3. Driver called ‘English prick’ by Scottish boss wins race case – A delivery driver has been awarded £13,000 after winning a race discrimination case for anti-English slurs made against him by his boss (Metro)
  4. Sub-postmasters launch legal bid to be classed as workers – More than 120 sub-postmasters have brought an employment lawsuit against the Post Office arguing they should be classed as “workers” and entitled to paid holiday, pension rights and sick pay (Financial Times)
  5. Stonewall fails to stop lesbian suing in trans row – Stonewall, the gay rights charity, has failed to stop a lesbian lawyer from suing it over allegations that it tried to silence her opposition to its policy on transgender rights (The Times)
  6. Tribunal claims for ageism at work soar since Covid lockdown – The number of age discrimination claims taken to employment tribunals has increased dramatically in England and Wales since Covid lockdown, according to analysis of Ministry of Justice data (The Guardian)
  7. Man who was sacked after telling bosses he had depression awarded £20,000 at tribunal – A man has been awarded almost £20,000 after an employment tribunal found he had been unfairly dismissed from his role despite telling his bosses he had depression (The Press and Journal)
  8. EE worker suffering PTSD after dad’s sudden death told ‘get a grip’ by boss – An EE worker left with PTSD after trying to save her father’s life was told to ‘get a grip’ by her manager. Bethan Oakley, 31, was battling mental health problems following her brave attempts to give her dad CPR after he collapsed in front of her (Metro)
  9. EU court backs Tesco workers in equal pay dispute – Thousands of current and former employees of UK supermarket group Tesco (TSCO.L) on Thursday won the support of Europe’s top court in their fight for equal pay in a judgment that could affect other retailers (Reuters)
  10. Ex-director wins £70k payout over trust’s ‘inappropriate’ interview panel – A trust must pay out nearly £70,000 to its former director of medical education after an employment tribunal ruled she had been constructively dismissed (HSJ)