Topics

Unfair dismissal

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  • Date:
    10 December 2007
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Unfair dismissal: Employer carried out reasonable investigation with regard to 'malingering' employee

    In Corus UK Ltd v Mainwaring EAT/0053/07, the EAT held that an employer did not act unreasonably when it failed to interview an informant who alleged that a fellow employee was malingering, as that allegation merely triggered a fair investigation. In addition, it was not necessary for the employer to seek medical evidence from a specialist consultant, it being reasonable for it to rely on evidence about the employee's medical condition from a GP.

  • Date:
    12 November 2007
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Unfair dismissal: Capability dismissal was fair notwithstanding employer's responsibility for employee's ill health

    In McAdie v Royal Bank of Scotland plc [2007] IRLR 895, the Court of Appeal confirmed that the fact that an employee's stress-related illness was caused by the employer was no bar in law to a fair dismissal on the grounds of capability.

  • Date:
    12 November 2007
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Unfair dismissal: 'Reasonableness' requires consideration of the injustice caused to the employee

    The EAT in Greenwood v Whiteghyll Plastics Ltd EAT/0219/07 held that, although third-party pressure can constitute "some other substantial reason" justifying dismissal, when dismissing an employee in response to complaints from a major client, the employer was not entitled to disregard the issue of injustice caused to the employee.

  • Date:
    14 September 2007
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Continuity of employment: Casual worker's continuity not broken by holiday

    In Vernon v Event Management Catering Ltd EAT/0161/07 the EAT held that a casual worker who, with the exception of a single two-week break to take a holiday, worked every week for more than three years was an employee and had sufficient continuity of service to claim unfair dismissal. He could demonstrate the existence of a contract of employment in each week during the relevant period and the period of holiday did not break his continuity of employment.

  • Type:
    Employment law cases

    Case round-up

    Judith Harris, professional support lawyer at Addleshaw Goddard, outlines the latest legal rulings.

  • Date:
    18 July 2007
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Termination of contract: An employee's apparent resignation was in fact a dismissal

    In Sandhu v Jan de Rijk Transport Ltd [2007] IRLR 519 CA the Court of Appeal held that when an employee negotiated severance terms and resigned during a meeting called without advance warning to effect his dismissal in circumstances where he had no time to reflect or seek advice, the only conclusion open to the tribunal as a matter of law was that he had been dismissed.

  • Date:
    11 July 2007
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    TUPE: Share transfers

    In Millam v The Print Factory (London) 1991 Ltd [2007] IRLR 526 CA, the Court of Appeal held that where the operation - as opposed to the ownership of a business - transferred to a new owner, TUPE applied notwithstanding that the business was acquired on a sale of shares.

  • Date:
    27 June 2007
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Unfair dismissal: Assessment of compensation

    In Software 2000 Ltd v Andrews and others EAT/0533/06 the Employment Appeal Tribunal held that where a procedurally unfair dismissal has not been rendered fair by the operation of s.98A(2) of the Employment Rights Act 1996, the tribunal must nevertheless consider if there is evidence to suggest that a fair procedure might have led to dismissal, thereby justifying a percentage reduction in compensation under Polkey.

  • Date:
    13 June 2007
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Unfair dismissal: Expired disciplinary warnings must be disregarded for all purposes

    In Airbus UK v Webb EAT/0453/06 the EAT has held that where an employee was dismissed for gross misconduct, but would not have been dismissed but for the fact that he had an expired final written warning on his record, the dismissal was unfair. The result of the expiry of the warning was that he was entitled to be treated as though he had no disciplinary record at all.

  • Date:
    13 June 2007
    Type:
    Employment law cases

    Whistleblowing: Worker's 'reasonable belief' need not be factually correct

    In Babula v Waltham Forest College [2007] IRLR 346 the Court of Appeal held that to qualify for protection from detriment or dismissal for whistleblowing, a worker must hold a "reasonable belief" that the information disclosed tends to show that a criminal offence will be committed or that there will be non-compliance with a legal obligation.

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HR and legal information and guidance relating to unfair dismissal.