EMPLOYMENT LAW TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT LAW CONSULTANCY

Section Four

Just the ticket. Lambeth Council, London, changed the contractor responsible for traffic wardens. The new contractor (NCP) announced checks on immigration documentation and immediately lost half of the workforce! Half of the traffic wardens (48) failed to report for work or were dismissed, as the documents were forgeries. The outgoing contractor was understandably reluctant to comment.

In another similar scenario, as reported in The Times, 7 illegal immigrants have been working for the HM Revenue and Customs, through an agency. Their roles included working as guards at... the Borders Agency!!

Excess baggage? Nine Air India stewardesses have been grounded and subsequently dismissed for being overweight. As the UK does not outlaw this form of discrimination (unless linked to a disability, or unless only female staff were targeted), any claims could only be for unfair dismissal not discrimination. This type of dismissal is being reported more often and it is important to follow disciplinary procedures.

A call centre worker in Australia has lost his job after posting details of his activities on his Facebook page. His missed a day at work and his manager suspected it was not genuine. A look at the young man's site confirmed that on the day of his "illness" he wrote that he was not going to work but would get "thrashed" (whatever that means in English!). I guess the return to work discussion was lively, perhaps the boss should have posted that on his own page.

Military Discipline. Welsh Lance Corporal Rebecca Smith, 21, was reportedly caught by a superior using a work computer to update her details on an escort website.

A subsequent investigation by the Royal Military Police's Special Investigations Branch allegedly revealed that she had been providing clients with a range of sexual services costing around £100 an hour.
During working hours, L/Cpl Smith was a junior non-commissioned officer tasked with enforcing discipline among soldiers from the RMP's 160 Company at Provost Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire.
Posing as Roxi Llewelyn, the blonde reportedly posted pictures of herself on the website dressed in a red top, showing off an impressive tattooed cleavage.
One post on the website said she was "gorgeous" while another thanked her for a "nice time".

Vicar of Tipsy. The Rev Teresa Davies, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, was found guilty of inappropriate conduct at a tribunal in London yesterday and banned from practising for 12 years by the Church of England. Davies had admitted to colleagues that she went on swinging holidays in the South of France and had turned up drunk to church services on several occasions.

Solicitors! A pensioner who lost a compensation claim after breaking her leg on holiday was branded a 'batty old tart' in official legal documents - by her own solicitor.

Wirral firm Aegis Law was forced to issue a grovelling apology to stunned 78-year-old Irene Carmichael after the blunder. The mother-of-six read the offensive words after she requested to see papers relating to her unsuccessful claim.

Equality - Russian style. A female Russian advertising executive who sued her boss for sexual harassment lost her case after a judge ruled that employers were obliged to make passes at female staff to ensure the survival of the human race. The 22-year-old executive had been hoping to become only the third woman in Russia's history to bring a successful sexual harassment action against a male employer.

WARNING: This would not be an acceptable excuse or action in the UK!

Next stop heaven. A Christian bus driver has refused to drive a bus with an atheist slogan proclaiming "There's probably no God". Ron Heather, from Southampton, Hampshire, responded with "shock" and "horror" at the message and walked out of his shift on Saturday in protest.

First Bus said it would do everything in its power to ensure Mr Heather does not have to drive the buses.

First Bus said in a statement: "As a company we understand Mr Heather's views regarding the atheist bus advert and we are doing what we can to accommodate his request not to drive the buses concerned."

It added: "As an organisation we don't endorse any of the products or sentiments advertised on our buses.

"The content of this advert has been approved by the Advertising Standards Agency and therefore it is capable of being posted on static sites or anywhere else."

Council to sue former director who 'misrepresented fitness'

Reported in the Times Online is the interesting situation where an employer is suing a former employee and seeking to recover over £750,000.

Christine Laird was Cheltenham Borough Council's former Managing Director. She spent 18 of the 36 months that she was employed by the Council absent from work suffering from stress. Her employment was terminated in August 2005.
The Council claims that Ms Laird 'misrepresented and misstated' her fitness for employment on an application. The Council is now claiming costs from Ms Laird totalling £754,392.47 in the High Court. This is the first time a local authority has brought an action under the Local Government Act 1999.

Baldness not a disability!

It was reported in the press that a Scottish tribunal had found against a Mr Campbell in his claim against Falkirk Council for disability discrimination on grounds of his baldness. He had been harassed by his pupils, but the judge ruled that baldness is not 'an impairment' and thus cannot be covered by the DDA.

Thanks for reading! Back in October... Derek
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