Several leading judges and lawyers say businesses could save millions of pounds if they used mediation as a way of settling disputes with employees and other companies. Research by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) suggests that about 10,000 cases went through mediation last year – an increase of 5.2% on 2014. Mediation allows
Hiring employees on repeated fixed-term contracts to carry work of a permanent nature contravenes EU law. That was the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the case of Spanish nurse Maria Elena Pérez López, who was employed by the University Hospital of Madrid. She began working for the hospital
A firm has been ordered to compensate a potential employee after withdrawing a verbal job offer made over the phone. The Employment Tribunal said the withdrawal amounted to breach of contract even though there was no written agreement. The case involved a company that appointed an agency to find suitable candidates for a vacancy. One
A woman has won her claim of sex discrimination against an airline that refused her request for flexible working after she returned from maternity leave. Emma Seville worked full time for Flybe as a cabin crew member for 13 years. Her rota was flexible, which meant she could work any 22 days of each month.
An employer discriminated against an engineer when it dismissed him because he refused to accept a reduced salary after becoming disabled. That was the decision of the Employment Tribunal in the case of a man employed as an engineer maintaining teller machines. He became disabled as a result of back problems. He was unable to
The government says it will continue with the living wage and the National Minimum Wage despite lobbying from leading trade groups. The announcement follows reports that 16 trade bodies had written to Prime Minister Theresa May asking her to reconsider the policy in the face of a potential economic slowdown following the Brexit vote. A
A father who lashed out at his children in a restaurant has been told he can only have indirect contact with them for at least the next two years. The case involved a couple who had three children together during their marriage. Following the breakdown of the relationship, the father wanted to remove the children
A business tenant has failed to exercise a break clause correctly because it left some partitioning behind when it vacated its commercial premises. The premises were on a 10-year lease with the option of exercising a break clause after five years on condition that proper notice was served and vacant possession was given on or
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the manufacturer of a device used to avert the risk of fire was not obliged to compensate the owners of a factory that was burnt to the ground. The court heard that the factory made precision components for the aerospace industry. It installed thermolevel devices to act as
A BBC journalist has been awarded more than £50,000 compensation after being unfairly dismissed following his failure to report the birth of Prince George. Chandana Keerthi Bandara worked as a producer providing online news about Sri Lanka. On 23 July 2013, he decided not to publish an article about the prince’s birth and focused instead