Long Covid sufferer held to be disabled despite regular gym sessions
May 19th 2023A tribunal has ruled that a long Covid sufferer could be classified as disabled despite being able to run a side business and attend regular sessions at the gym. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. The case involved Mr S Bradley who brought an unfair dismissal claim against Cultureshift Communications. Before the claim could proceed in full, it was necessary to determine whether Bradley’s symptoms…
Businesses should prepare for flexible working changes, says leading employment lawyer
March 30th 2023PLANS to give workers more rights to request flexible working could impact on the way businesses operate, a leading employment lawyer has warned. Joanne Stronach, Head of Employment Law and HR at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, said employers needed to be prepared for the new legislation which will give workers the right to request flexible working from the first day of their employment. Currently, new employees have to wait 26 weeks…
Woman loses discrimination claim based on her marital status
March 27th 2023The Employment Appeal Tribunal has overturned a decision that a woman was discriminated against because of her marital status. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. The case involved Mr Graham Ellis and Ms K Bacon, who had both worked for Advanced Fire Solutions Ltd (AFS). Bacon joined AFS Ltd as a bookkeeper in 2005. She later married Mr J Bacon, who was the company’s managing…
HR discriminated by taking female’s complaint more seriously than male’s
March 9th 2023A factory worker has won his claim of sex discrimination after his dispute with a female co-worker was not handled in an equal manner by HR. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Michal Swaciak worked as a team leader production line operative for Rowse Honey from September 2012. In May 2020, a member of his team, Agata Kulaga, was in line for a…
Employability advisor was discriminated against because of disability
February 27th 2023An employability advisor was unfairly dismissed on the grounds of disability discrimination after requesting a suitable work chair. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. That was the verdict of the Employment Tribunal in a case involving Justin Griffiths and Dimensions Training Solutions (DTS). Mr Griffiths’ role was to advise the company on correct practices when making adjustments for employees with disabilities. Griffiths had several ailments…
Admin assistant unfairly dismissed after becoming pregnant
February 23rd 2023An admin assistant has been awarded £15,000 compensation after being dismissed when she became pregnant. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. The case involved Charlotte Leitch who worked for CIS Services Limited, which handles customer information in the rail industry. She joined the company on 21 May 2021 and on 23 June, she told her supervisor that she was unable to work due to…
Employee who returned keys and said ‘I’m done’ was unfairly dismissed
February 20th 2023The Employment Tribunal has ruled that a factory supervisor who handed over her keys and said she was “done” did not resign and was unfairly dismissed. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Natalie Cope worked as a factory supervisor for Razzle Dazzle Costumes (RDC). She had a good working relationship with the business owners Lorna Parker – now deceased – and her husband…
Redundancy criteria that led to dismissal of nurse was unfair
December 20th 2022A nurse has won her claim of unfair dismissal after she was made redundant simply because her contract renewal was coming round earlier than her colleague’s. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Karen Regan worked as a Band 6 nurse for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Her employment had consisted of a series of fixed-term contracts since 2016, There was another Band…
Large increases to minimum wage rates to combat inflation
December 5th 2022The Low Pay Commission has announced large increases in minimum wage rates to combat falling living standards caused by rising inflation. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. It means the National Living Wage (NLW) will rise to £10.42 from 1 April 2023, an increase of 92 pence or 9.7 per cent. The full changes are: Rate from April 2023Current rate (April 22 to March 23)IncreaseNational…
New law designed to protect pregnant women against redundancy
November 15th 2022Pregnant women and new parents will receive greater protection from redundancy under new legislation currently going through parliament. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Under current rules, before offering redundancy to an employee on maternity leave, shared parental leave or adoption leave, employers have an obligation to offer them a suitable alternative vacancy where one exists. The Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination Bill, introduced…
