Equality, diversity and human rights

New and updated

• Date:

  10 July 2012

  Type:

  Employment law cases

  Age discrimination: ECJ rules Swedish default retirement age of 67 to be lawful

  The European Court of Justice has upheld the Swedish law that allows an employer to terminate an employee's contract of employment on the sole ground that he or she has reached the age of 67, taking no account of the pension that the employee will receive. 

• Type:

  Employment law cases

  Acas conciliation: employer's email to claimant questioning her ability ever to gain promotion was victimisation

  The employment tribunal in this case took the unusual decision that the employer victimised the claimant when it allowed an Acas conciliation officer to forward her an email questioning her abilities and suggesting that she would never be promoted because of weaknesses in her literacy skills.

• Type:

  Employment law cases

  Case round-up

  Georgina Kyriacou and David Malamatenios are partners and Sandra Martins, Colin Makin and Krishna Santra are associates at Colman Coyle Solicitors. They round up the latest rulings.

• Type:

  Employment law cases

  Case of the week: Equal pay

  This week's case of the week, provided by DLA Piper, covers equal pay.

• Date:

  14 June 2012

  Type:

  Employment law cases

  No age discrimination in ignoring experience with another company in same group when grading pay

  The European Court of Justice has held that a clause in a collective agreement excluding professional experience acquired with another company in the same group when grading pay is not discriminatory on the ground of age.

• Type:

  Employment law cases

  Disability: tribunal recommends that retailer Iceland train HR staff and senior management in mental health issues

  This is a rare example, along with Stone v Ramsay Health Care UK Operations Ltd ET/1400762/11, of an employment tribunal making wide-ranging recommendations to an employer, in this case asking it to provide equal opportunities training for sections of its HR function and senior management.

• Type:

  Employment law cases

  Tribunal recommends maternity rights training in company where employee given work two days after giving birth

  This is a rare example, along with Crisp v Iceland Foods Ltd ET/1604478/11 & ET/1600000/12, of an employment tribunal making wide-ranging recommendations to an employer, in this case suggesting that it provide training for its managers and HR team on maternity rights.

• Date:

  2 June 2012

  Type:

  Employment law cases

  Marriage discrimination: Dismissal because employee was in close personal relationship, which happened to be marriage, was not discrimination

  In Hawkins v Atex Group Ltd and others EAT/0302/11, the EAT held that the dismissal of an employee because she was in a close personal relationship with a particular person, which happened to take the form of marriage, did not amount to unlawful marriage discrimination.

• Date:

  2 June 2012

  Type:

  Employment law cases

  Marriage discrimination: Less favourable treatment of employee on ground that she was married to a particular person amounted to discrimination

  In Dunn v Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management EAT/0531/10, the EAT held that less favourable treatment accorded to an employee on the ground that she was married to a particular person, rather than because of her marital status per se, amounted to unlawful discrimination on the ground of marriage.

• Type:

  Employment law cases

  Case round-up

  Sinead Jones is an associate, and Phil Dupres and Beckie Howlett are trainee solicitors at Addleshaw Goddard. They round up the latest rulings.