Dismissal Over Osama Selfie Unfair An employment tribunal has found that a dairy worker who was given the sack after he posted a selfie of himself wearing an Osama bin Laden facemask at work was unfairly dismissed by his employer. Robert Mazur, who was employed as a lab technician at a dairy plant…
Obesity – A New Disability? Employers are being urged to take note of a recent EU court ruling which established a precedent that in severe cases, obesity may constitute a disability. Whilst the decision by the EU court of justice in Luxemburg related to a Danish case, the ruling may affect employment rights in…
Employer Guidance on Adverse Weather With the winter months fast approaching, ACAS have issued helpful guidance for employers to help them deal with workplace issues arising from adverse weather. Summarised below are some key points for employers to consider when giving thought to their adverse weather plans and contingencies. Employees who are unable to…
More Facebook Dangers A Food Inspector who was dismissed from his position after ‘liking’ a Facebook post about his boss being attacked with a chair, has been found to have been unfairly dismissed at an Employment Tribunal and has been awarded over £32,000 compensation. Alan Blue from Scotland was dismissed by the Food Standards…
Happy Anniversary to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Act is the primary piece of health and safety legislation in Great Britain and received Royal Assent 40 years ago and has saved thousands of lives, prevented many more injuries at work and reduced economic…
Calculating Holiday Pay The media has been flooded with news this month regarding a UK Employment Appeal Tribunal judgement which is likely to mean that employers will need to change the way in which they calculate holiday pay for their employees. The landmark ruling on Tuesday centred around the case of Bear Scotland v Fulton…
Repeal of 3rd Party Harassment Provisions Last year, as part of the Government’s consultation on the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, it was proposed to simplify and strengthen the equality legislation by proposing measures which would relieve the burden on businesses whilst maintaining key legal protection from 3rd party harassment discrimination. One of the…
Working at Height – Successful HSE Prosecution A South-West Hampshire firm has been fined after an employee fractured his forearm, working at height, in a two metre fall from an unguarded office roof that had been used to store boxes. Cannon Technologies Ltd of New Milton, had been using the internal area over the office…
Long Term Sickness and Accrued Holidays A recent case at the Court of Appeal (NHS Leeds v Larner) which gives further clarification regarding workers who are absent from work due to long term sickness and their entitlement to carry over untaken holiday from one holiday year to the next. In a previous judgment…
HSE Urges More Action on Preventing Legionella Businesses are being told to do more to protect workers and members of the public from exposure to legionella. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a safety notice after identifying common failings in legionella control from a review of outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in…
