Equality, diversity and human rights
In Asda Stores Ltd v Brierley and others, the Court of Appeal held that workers in Asda supermarkets are entitled to compare their pay with the pay of depot workers because common terms of employment apply.
In R (on the application of P) v Secretary of State for the Home Department and other appeals, the Supreme Court held that the criminal record checks rule requiring disclosure where a person has more than one conviction, regardless of the circumstances of the offences, is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
In Lord Chancellor and another v McCloud and others; Ministry of Justice v Mostyn and others; Secretary of State for the Home Department and others v Sargeant and others, the Court of Appeal held that the Government's view that "it felt right" to protect older workers with transitional provisions when making changes to pensions for judges and firefighters was insufficient to defend direct age discrimination claims.
In Asda Stores Ltd v Raymond, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) upheld the tribunal decision that the employer's failure to conduct a reasonable investigation and to take reasonable care during the disciplinary process made the employee's dismissal unfair. The EAT also upheld the tribunal's ruling that his dismissal arose from his disability.
In Williams v Trustees of Swansea University Pension & Assurance Scheme and another, the Supreme Court held that an employee, whose working hours had been reduced to accommodate his disability, was not treated "unfavourably" when his enhanced pension on ill-health retirement was based on his final part-time salary, rather than his full-time salary.
In Awan v ICTS UK Ltd, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) held that an implied term of the contract of employment prohibited the employer from dismissing the employee for medical capability while he was entitled to receive long-term disability benefits.
In Wood v Durham County Council, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) held that the employee's tendency to steal was a manifestation of his disability and an excluded condition under the Equality Act 2010 (Disability) Regulations 2010.
In Evans v Xactly Corporation Ltd, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) upheld an employment tribunal's ruling that calling a salesperson a "fat ginger pikey" in a working environment with a culture of "jibing and teasing"; was not harassment under the Equality Act 2010.
In Matier v Spring & Airbrake Ireland Ltd, a Northern Ireland industrial tribunal awarded £3,155 for age discrimination to a jobseeker who was told that a prospective employer was "looking for a younger person".
In James v Coedffranc Community Council, an employment tribunal upheld an unsuccessful job applicant's age discrimination claim after an interviewer said "I've just noticed how old you are" and jotted down older candidates' ages on interview notes.
Employment law cases: HR and legal information and guidance relating to equality, diversity and human rights.