White worker wins race discrimination claim against food company
March 25th 2021A white worker at a firm producing Asian food was racially discriminated against after his supervisor told him to “go and work for an English company”. Claire Davies Director and Employment & HR Solicitor reports. The case involved Colin Sorby who worked at Mumtaz Foods on a zero-hour contract with Bradford Management Services. In October 2019, his supervisor Azeem Akhtar told him that Mumtaz Foods was an Asian company and…
Bullied NHS employee given fake task as a prank awarded £10,000
March 9th 2021An NHS employee has been awarded nearly £10,000 after she was subjected to a series of cruel and bullying tricks by her co-workers. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports. Carol Hurley began work as a deputy finance business partner for East Sussex NHS Trust in October 2016. The following summer she received a ‘joke’ email from her line manager Stella Armstrong to ‘remind’ her that she…
Leading employment lawyer welcomes Chancellor’s furlough extension
March 3rd 2021A LEADING employment law specialist has welcomed the move to extend the Government’s furlough scheme until the end of September. Joanne Stronach, Head of Employment Law and HR at legal firm Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, said the move would give businesses time to recover following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. The furlough scheme, which pays up to 80% of salaries to those who cannot work because of Covid-19 restrictions, was scheduled…
Publisher granted injunction against its former chief executive
March 3rd 2021A publishing company has been granted a further injunction preventing its former chief executive officer from disclosing sensitive information obtained during his employment. Mark Aspin Director & Head of Dispute Resolution reports. The executive had worked for the publisher until he was dismissed for gross misconduct in 2018. He threatened to bring employment tribunal proceedings, but the case was settled in July 2018. The settlement agreement defined what confidential information…
Supreme Court says Uber drivers are workers, not self-employed
February 24th 2021The Supreme Court has ruled that Uber drivers should be classed as workers rather than as self-employed. Joanne Stronach Director & Head of Employment and HR provides an update. The distinction is crucial as it means drivers gain significant employments rights such as entitlement to the minimum wage and holiday pay. The court’s decision marks the end of a four-year legal battle between Uber and two of its former drivers,…
Manager was discriminated against while on maternity leave
February 22nd 2021A middle-aged father who was overlooked for a role in the NHS because he was “very different” to the person who had previously held the position has won his claim of age discrimination. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports. Mr N Clements applied for the role as a band 7 project manager at Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust in June 2018. The interviews were…
Travel agency ‘wrong to use data from rival’s former employees’
February 18th 2021The Court of Appeal has ruled that a travel agency was wrong to take client contact information disclosed by its competitor’s former employees and add it to its own computer database. Mark Aspin Director and Head of Dispute Resolution reports. The issue arose after the agency, Trailfinders, hired some employees from a rival agency, Travel Counsellors Ltd (TCL). Trailfinders expected new employees to bring their own customers and encouraged them…
1 in 10 workers ‘told to re-apply for their jobs on worse terms’
February 11th 2021The Covid-19 pandemic has led to nearly 1 in 10 workers being told to re-apply for their jobs on worse terms and conditions or face the sack, according to research by the TUC. Joanne Stronach Director & Head of Employment & HR reports. Almost a quarter say their working terms, such as pay or hours, have been downgraded since the first lockdown in March. The TUC commissioned an online survey of…
Can an employee be forced to have the COVID19 vaccine?
February 1st 2021The widespread administration of the vaccine in the UK is good news for many employers to help working life slowly return to normal in time. But what if one of your employees refuses to have it? The big question being considered by Joanne Stronach Head of Employment Law and HR is – can an employer require its employees to have the COVID19 vaccine? The quick answer is that the Government…
Government plans crackdown on ‘unfair’ employment clauses
January 11th 2021The government is considering a crackdown on what it describes as unfair employment contracts that restrict worker freedom. Joanne Stronach Head of Employment & HR reports. The measures could include banning the use of exclusivity clauses, which prevent workers from taking on additional work with other employers. This would apply to workers whose guaranteed weekly income is below the Lower Earnings Limit, currently £120 a week. The change would put…
