Three estate agents have been fined a total of more than £600,000 for operating an illegal cartel to fix commission rates. The three firms, all from Berkshire, were Michael Hardy, Prospect and Richard Worth. Together with a fourth company, Romans, they began fixing prices in September 2008. They conspired to set minimum commission rates for
A mental health nurse who was subjected to abuse by patients has won a claim of indirect race discrimination by his employer. However, his claim for harassment was rejected by the Employment Tribunal. Colleridge Bessong, from Africa, worked for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust (2019) at a secure residential unit. In 2017 he was seriously
An employer has failed to get an injunction restraining six key employees from working for a competitor, pending a trial to decide whether they were bound by a non-compete covenant. The case involved recruitment company Affinity Workforce Solutions Ltd. In May 2019, it dismissed one of the employees for alleged gross misconduct. She challenged the
An employee who was duped into transferring nearly £200,000 to online scammers while her bosses were on annual leave will not have to pay back the money to her employers. Patricia Reilly worked as a credit controller for Peebles Media Group (PMG). She was left in charge while her managing director, Yvonne Bremner, and line
The Employment Tribunal has ruled that a business manager who suffered from hepatitis C was unfairly dismissed by her employer because of her disability. Carol Smith worked for cosmetic wholesaler Amalgamated Euro Products. Her condition caused her pain, insomnia, fatigue and depression. She rarely took time off until the period between March and July 2016,
A kitchen manager was unfairly dismissed after his employers failed to consider his disability and the restrictions it placed on him when reviewing his performance. That was the ruling of the Employment Tribunal in the case of Hermosa Mateo, who was dismissed by the Whitbread Group, which owns the Beefeater chain of restaurants. Mateo had
Eight out of ten people say women should have the right to know how their pay compares with male colleagues doing the same work. The Fawcett Society, a charity that campaigns for gender equality, carried out research showing that one in three women had no idea what their male co-workers were paid, leaving them unaware
An occupational therapist who lost her job after years of suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome has won her claim of discrimination and unfair dismissal. Ms D Ward had worked for Northumberland Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust since 2000. The trust operated a sickness and absence management policy under which employees faced disciplinary action if
A charity manager has won her case of unfair dismissal after her wages fell and she was forced to share responsibilities with an employee who was once her junior. Mary Gifford worked for Shetland Care Attendant Scheme (SCAS) from 2003. She was a part-time manager and co-ordinator. One of her staff, Kate Fraser, gained a
A university lecturer who faced allegations of “scandalous conduct” after starting a relationship with a student has lost his appeal against unfair dismissal. The case involved J Dronsfield, who was an academic at Reading University. Under the terms of his contract, he could be dismissed for “”good cause”” which included “”conduct of an immoral, scandalous