A Poundland store manager has been awarded £21,000 compensation after she was unfairly dismissed for allegedly stealing a drink. The manager, Ms Stokes, had worked at the company for eight years. During the last two she experienced friction with a newly appointed area sales manager. In June 2017, the area sales manager and a senior
The Supreme Court ruling in the Pimlico Plumbers case and the Employment Tribunal decision involving Hermes help to clarify the difference between ‘worker’ and ‘self-employed’ and could have a significant impact on the gig economy. The long running dispute involving London based Pimlico was initiated by one of its plumbers, Gary Smith. Mr Smith had
The Employment Tribunal has ruled that an employer discriminated against a woman when it extended her probationary period after discovering she was pregnant. Charlotte Kimberley was appointed as a contracts administrator by Calibre Building Services on 8 June 2016 and agreed a start date of 20 June. However, five days before she was due to
The High Court has ruled that a 96-hour shift pattern for firefighters was unlawful because it breached the Working Time Regulations 1998. The case involved firefighters employed by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. The authority operated a shift system called “”close proximity crewing”” (CPC). It involved a working week of 96 hours of continuous
A Muslim bus driver has lost his claim that he was subjected to harassment based on his race or religion while at work. The issue arose when the driver, who was of Moroccan origin, was talking to a colleague in the staff canteen. He told him about a report made by a journalist who went
A pharmaceutical company was within its rights to dismiss an employee who failed to complete mandatory online training courses. That was the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in a recent case involving a medical sales rep Mr Barongo. who was employed by Quintiles Commercial UK. In January 2016, Mr Barongo was dismissed for failing
A woman who was dismissed amid confusion over whether two of her male colleagues had mistakenly drunk some of her cystitis medication has been awarded £19,000 compensation. The Employment Tribunal held that in cases like hers, menopausal symptoms could be a disability for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. The case involved Mandy Davies,
The Court of Appeal has provided useful guidance on when an employee can claim constructive unfair dismissal based on a “final straw” event following a series of related grievances. The issue arose in the case of Harpreet Kaur who worked for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. There was an altercation between Ms Kaur and another
A meat company has been granted an injunction preventing a former employee misusing its confidential information about customers and product prices. The court heard that the company supplied fresh meat to commercial catering customers. One of its employees resigned after working as a sales executive for two-and-a-half years. During his employment, he had direct contact
An apprentice who was made redundant two years before his apprenticeship was due to be completed has been awarded £25,000 compensation for loss of earnings. Daniel Kinnear was employed as an apprentice roof tiler under a four-year apprenticeship contract from October 2014. In June 2016, the employer terminated his apprenticeship for redundancy reasons. At the