‘The employee had been allegedly trafficked from Nigeria to the UK by the employer to work illegally as an au pair (Hounga v Allen and another). The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, set aside an award of compensation granted in the employee’s favour for unlawful discrimination in relation to her dismissal by the employer, having held that the illegality of the contract of employment had formed a material part of the employee’s complaint and that to uphold it would be to condone the illegality. The employee appealed. The Supreme Court, allowing the appeal, held that it would be a breach of the UK’s international obligations under the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings for its law to cause the employee’s complaint to be defeated by the defence of illegality. The case was remitted to the tribunal in respect of a complaint in relation to pre-dismissal harassment.’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 13th August 2014
Source: www.halsburyslawexhange.co.uk
