Equality, diversity and human rights

New and updated

• 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.

• Type:

  FAQs

  How can employers avoid allegations of unfair and/or discriminatory treatment when allowing employees to take time off to watch major football tournaments?

• Date:

  24 May 2012

  Type:

  Employment law cases

  Au pair's discrimination claims barred for being inextricably linked with her own illegal conduct

  The Court of Appeal has held that an employee who worked in the UK knowing that she did not have permission to do so was unable to claim discrimination against her unlawful employers, given that her illegal actions formed a material part of her discrimination claims. 

• Type:

  Employment law cases

  Requiring Christian employee to work on Sundays was not religious discrimination

  In this decision on the manifestation of religious belief in the workplace, the tribunal held that the employer's business requirements outweighed the Christian claimant's desire not to work on Sundays because she believes that it is a day of worship and rest.

• Date:

  22 May 2012

  Type:

  Employment law cases

  Human rights: NHS trust's decision to dismiss doctor did not engage right to fair and public hearing

  The Court of Appeal has held that an NHS trust's decision to dismiss a doctor, which made it more difficult for him to practise in his chosen profession, did not engage his right to a fair and public hearing under the European Convention on Human Rights. 

• 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:

  FAQs

  Is it unlawful to ask for applicants' date of birth on application forms?

• Date:

  26 April 2012

  Type:

  Employment law cases

  Age discrimination: Supreme Court provides guidance on justification of compulsory retirement age

  The Supreme Court has provided guidance on the components needed to justify a compulsory retirement age, stressing that the chosen retirement age has to be appropriate and necessary in that particular business. It went on to say that, once a retirement age is justified for a workplace or group of workers, the employer does not have to justify every retirement on an individual basis.