In the case of Mr S Knox v Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, PC Stephen Knox complained after a colleague called him 'Dolly Parton' because he only worked nine to five. The officer covered his desk in A4-sized photographs of the US country singer and continually whistled her hit song at their station.
25 May 2022
Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking. In 2015, the Government introduced the landmark Modern Slavery Act making the UK the first country in the world to have legislation dedicated to tackling modern slavery. It has now proposed the Modern Slavery Bill as part of the Queen’s speech.
24 May 2022
The government has announced that Britain’s lowest paid workers will be given the flexibility to boost their income through extra work. The proposals will widen the ban on exclusivity clauses, which restrict staff from working for multiple employers, to contracts where the guaranteed weekly income is on or below the Lower Earnings Limit of £123 a week. An estimated 1.5 million workers are earning on or below £123 a week and the new reforms will ensure that workers in this group that have exclusivity clauses are able to top up their income with extra work if they choose.
23 May 2022
In the case of Rodgers v Leeds Laser Cutting Ltd Mr Rodgers was employed as a laser operator. During March 2020, he informed his employer that “unfortunately [he had] no alternative but to stay off work until the lockdown [had] eased”. His reasoning was that he had small children about whom he was concerned. There had been a suspected case of the virus at the warehouse.
20 May 2022
In Ms J Keating v WH Smith Retail Holdings Ltd Jacqueline Keating has 2 children and is a single parent. Her terms and conditions included, under the normal working hours section, a provision that she was to work 20 hours per week, flexible to the needs of the business. It was also stated that the she could be asked to work an extra 8 hours per week where the trading patterns require more staff. Further, that she may be required to work Saturdays, Sundays or Public/Bank Holidays.
19 May 2022
In the case of Mr A Finn v The British Bung Manufacturing Company Limited Mr Finn was employed as an electrician between 22 September 1997 and 25 May 2021. Upon the latter date, he was dismissed from his employment without notice. He complained that he was a victim of sexual harassment, due to comments made about his lack of hair, including being called a "bald c***" by factory supervisor Jamie King during an argument in 2019.
18 May 2022
Spain could become the first European country to introduce medical leave for women who suffer from severe period pain. Spain's equality minister Irene Montero said on Twitter: "We will recognise by law the right of women with painful menstruation to a special temporary incapacity that will be paid for by the state from day one". She added "We are making progress so that it is no longer normal to go to work in pain and to put an end to the stigma, shame and silence surrounding menstruation. We are making progress on rights".
17 May 2022
The EHRC has issued a statement on ‘long Covid’, disability and the Equality Act saying "there continues to be discussion of the various symptoms related to Covid-19 that are often referred to as ‘long Covid’ and whether they would constitute a disability under the Equality Act.
16 May 2022
In the case of Mr J Patel v Lucy A Raymond & Sons Limited Mr Patel is a 26-year-old man who was first diagnosed with dyslexia in 2011, when he was in the sixth form at school and struggling with his A-Levels. In 2020, Jay Patel was employed by insurance firm Lucy A Raymond & Sons for just over a month.
13 May 2022
In Mrs S Henderson v Asda Stores Ltd Mrs S Henderson, an Asda employee of 15 years, took the company to an employment tribunal, winning one count of racial harassment and one of constructive unfair dismissal.
12 May 2022
