Monetary remedies in the Tribunal (including interim relief); Maximising the value or minimising the pain – 11 KBW

Posted November 14th, 2011 in compensation, employment tribunals, news, pensions, unfair dismissal by sally

A recession tends to lead to more claims but fewer trials. Employees naturally look for ways to maximise the value of their claims – particularly by reference to causes of action that bust the cap for a ‘vanilla’ unfair dismissal – often (in the case of high value employees) by reference to the whistleblowing legislation. The ‘bar’ for what qualifies for protection as a whistleblowing disclosure is set relatively low, and an employee dismissed from (say) employment in the financial services sector can usually identify something he or she has said in the recent past that can be held out as ‘revealing’ the employer’s true motivation for dismissing and/or as supporting a section 103A claim. On the flip side, recessions may give employers greater scope for ‘Polkey Chance’ arguments – market uncertainty undermines security of employment, and even if the employee has been unfairly dismissed now, who is to say that he or she would still have been in post in a year’s time?

Full story (PDF)

11 KBW, 10th November 2011

Source: www.11kbw.com

Yerrakalva v Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and another – WLR Daily

Posted November 4th, 2011 in costs, employment tribunals, law reports by sally

 Yerrakalva v Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and another; [2011] EWCA civ 1255;  [2011] WLR (D)  313

“When exercising its discretion under rule 40 of Schedule 1 to the Employment Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations 2004 to order costs against a party who had acted unreasonably in bringing or conducting proceedings, it was vital that the employment tribual looked at the whole picture of what happened in the case.”

WLR Daily, 3rd November 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Employees will pay to bring unfair dismissal claims, government proposes – The Guardian

Posted October 4th, 2011 in employment tribunals, news, unfair dismissal by sally

“Workers will have to pay to bring unfair dismissal claims and will not be able to do so unless they have worked for the employer for at least two years, the government has said. Under the plans, applicants will be obliged to pay the costs of an unfair dismissal claim – £250 for lodging a claim and a further £1,000 if the case goes to a hearing – which will only be refunded if the employee wins. The change to double the length of employment needed before a claim can be made will come into affect on 6 April 2012.”

Full story

The Guardian, 3rd October 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Couple claim wrongful dismissal in UK’s first ‘caste bias’ battle – The Independent

Posted August 19th, 2011 in employment tribunals, news, race discrimination, wrongful dismissal by sally

“An Indian couple who met at a UK law firm where they both worked are claiming wrongful dismissal because of discrimination by caste.”

Full story

The Independent, 18th August 2011

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Tribunal sets out employee’s unfair dismissal rights in length of service dispute – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 16th, 2011 in appeals, employment tribunals, news, unfair dismissal by sally

“The EAT has ruled that an employee summarily dismissed during a notice period cannot bring an unfair dismissal claim if the dismissal means they have insufficient length of service to raise a claim.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 15th August 2011

Source: www.out-law.com

Brownbill and others v St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust – WLR Daily

Posted August 1st, 2011 in employment tribunals, equal pay, law reports, sex discrimination by sally

Brownbill and others v St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust [2011] EWCA Civ 903;  [2011] WLR (D)  264

“Once an employment tribunal had found that there were terms in women’s contracts and terms in men’s contracts that were susceptible to comparison and that each of the terms was a distinct provision with sufficient content to make it possible to compare them so that the benefits conferred by the provision could be contrasted, it should proceed to compare them focusing on the equality of terms not of total pay actually received.”

WLR Daily, 28th July 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Firm loses ‘partner’ employment appeal – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 28th, 2011 in appeals, employment tribunals, law firms, news, partnerships by sally

“A solicitor who was paid through a profit share rather than receiving a salary should not be classified as a partner for employment law purposes, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 28th July 2011

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

 

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families v Fletcher; Duncombe v Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (No 2) – WLR Daily

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families v Fletcher; Duncombe v Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (No 2); [2011] UKSC 36  [2011] WLR (D)  247

“Teachers who had been employed by the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and seconded to work at European Schools throughout the European Union were entitled to bring unfair dismissal claims before an employment tribunal under section 94(1) of the Employment Rights Act 1996.”

WLR Daily, 15th July 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Tariq v Home Office (JUSTICE and another intervening) – WLR Daily

Tariq v Home Office (JUSTICE and another intervening) [2011] UKSC 35; [2011] WLR (D) 229

“The closed material procedure provided in the statutory scheme established for employment tribunals was in principle compatible with European Union law and article 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, as scheduled to the Human Rights Act 1998.”

WLR Daily, 13th July 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

EAT allows barrister to pursue further claims against 4 New Square – The Lawyer

Posted June 28th, 2011 in appeals, barristers, barristers' clerks, employment tribunals, news, racism by sally

“The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has given permission for barrister Aisha Bijlani to pursue a racial and disability discrimination claim against four named individuals at her chambers, 4 New Square (4NS).”

Full story

The Lawyer, 27th June 2011

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Servant paid £2.50 an hour wins tribunal against Arab Princess – Daily Telegraph

“An Arab Princess has been ordered to pay £175,000 in compensation to a servant paid less than £2.50 an hour who was forced to dig into his own pocket to cover the food bills from Harrods because Tesco was not considered good enough.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 9th June 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Employment Tribunal wrong to apportion damages in discrimination case, Appeals panel rules – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 7th, 2011 in appeals, damages, employment tribunals, news by michael

“Employment Tribunals only have power in certain circumstances to decide what proportion of damages someone is responsible for in discrimination cases where there is more than one guilty party, an Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 7th June 2011

Source: www.out-law.com

Refusal to allow mosque attendance was not indirect discrimination, rules tribunal – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 31st, 2011 in appeals, employment tribunals, news, religious discrimination by sally

“A company did not indirectly discriminate against a Muslim security guard by preventing him from attending Friday prayers at a Mosque, an Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) has ruled.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 31st May 2011

Source: www.out-law.com

Aitken v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis – WLR Daily

Aitken v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2011] EWCA Civ 582;  [2011] WLR (D)  165

“Parties and their lawyers using the tribunal system should not draw the appellate courts into unnecessary speculation as to what the law would be if an employment tribunal had found the facts differently. Users of the tribunal system needed to be reminded that they needed evidence to prove facts; they needed facts on which to base legal submissions; and they needed real, not imaginary, questions of law for any appeal.”

WLR Daily, 18th May 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Please note that once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed

Sex discrimination case begins – Law Society’s Gazette

“A woman solicitor who alleges that her boss remarked she had ‘all the traits of a blonde’ and should find herself a rich husband has begun tribunal proceedings for sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 12th May 2011

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Coalition to water down employees’ rights – The Guardian

“The government is to extend its review of employment law to tighten up discrimination compensation and dilute rules protecting employees’ rights when a business is transferred from one owner to another.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th May 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Volunteer could not claim disability discrimination because he had no employment contract, judge rules

“A paid army volunteer could not claim he had been discriminated against due to disability when work for the army stopped because he did not have an employment contract, an employment appeal tribunal judge has ruled.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 4th May 2011

Source: www.out-law.com

Chef wins gagging order to suppress tribunal details – Daily Telegraph

“An internationally renowned chef has won a gagging order preventing publication of a legal wrangle with two former employees.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 4th May 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

TUC warns against impact of employment law reforms – Law Society’s Gazette

“Government plans for reform of employment tribunals will discriminate against black and minority ethnic groups, disabled people, women, and young workers, according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC).”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 19th April 2011

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Male solicitor suffered sex discrimination – The Guardian

“Employers must act ‘proportionately’ when they provide women who are pregnant or on maternity leave with special treatment at work, an employment appeals tribunal has ruled.”

Full story

The Guardian, 6th April 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk