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Unfair dismissal

New and updated

  • Type:
    Employment law cases

    Case round-up

    Niki Walker, managing associate at Addleshaw Goddard, details the latest rulings.

  • Date:
    28 June 2010
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Whistleblowing: Opinion on discretionary redundancy scheme not protected disclosure

    In Goode v Marks & Spencer plc EAT/0442/09, the EAT held that an employment tribunal was right to find that an employee had not been dismissed because of having made a protected disclosure. There had been no qualifying or protected disclosure, but merely an opinion expressed about the employer's proposal for changes to a discretionary enhanced redundancy scheme.

  • Date:
    21 June 2010
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Conditional resignation does not trigger effective date of termination

    The Employment Appeal Tribunal has held that the date of a conditional resignation cannot constitute the effective date of termination regardless of any agreement between the employer and employee. 

  • Date:
    1 June 2010
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Unfair dismissal: Failure properly to consider explanation of uncharacteristic behaviour during hypoglycaemic episode resulted in unfair dismissal

    In City of Edinburgh Council v Dickson EATS/0038/09, the EAT upheld the employment tribunal's decision that an employee whose employer failed properly to consider his explanation that he had behaved out of character during a hypoglycaemic episode was unfairly dismissed. However, the tribunal's conclusion that the employer's rejection of that explanation amounted to direct and disability-related discrimination was wrong in law and was overturned.

  • Type:
    Employment law cases

    Case round-up

    Helen Samuel, associate solicitor and Anna Bridges, associate solicitor, at Addleshaw Goddard, detail the latest rulings.

  • Date:
    19 May 2010
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Unfair dismissal: Dismissal for gross misconduct fell outside range of reasonable responses

    In Sarkar v West London Mental Health NHS Trust [2010] EWCA Civ 289 CA, the Court of Appeal held that an employment tribunal was entitled to find that the employer had acted outside the range of reasonable responses when it summarily dismissed an employee for gross misconduct after initial agreement that the allegations against him would be dealt with under an informal procedure that was appropriate for relatively minor misconduct and could not lead to dismissal.

  • Date:
    5 May 2010
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Constructive dismissal: Repudiatory breach cannot be "cured" to prevent constructive dismissal claim

    In Buckland v Bournemouth University Higher Education Corporation [2010] EWCA Civ 121 CA, the Court of Appeal held that the "range of reasonable responses" test has no place in a tribunal's determination of whether or not there was a repudiatory breach of contract by the employer and constructive dismissal. It also held that such a breach cannot be "cured", so as to prevent the innocent party accepting the breach.

  • Type:
    Employment law cases

    Case round-up

    Richard Ryan, associate, Helen Ward, associate, and Tori O'Neil, trainee solicitor, Addleshaw Goddard, detail the latest rulings.

  • Date:
    21 April 2010
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster) v Marshall and another

    The Employment Appeal Tribunal has held that it will only rarely be unfair for an employer to proceed with a disciplinary hearing prior to holding a related grievance appeal hearing.

  • Date:
    30 March 2010
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Annual leave: Holiday entitlement can be subject to notice requirements

    In Lyons v Mitie Security Ltd EAT/0081/09, the EAT held that, in principle, the ability to take annual leave is not inalienable and can be lost if the worker does not comply with the notice requirements imposed by the Working Time Regulations 1998 and/or the worker's contract. However, the tribunal had erred in failing to analyse properly whether or not the particular notice requirements of the claimant's contract had been complied with, before deciding to dismiss his constructive dismissal and holiday pay claims.

About this topic

HR and legal information and guidance relating to unfair dismissal.