Disability Discrimination – Diabetic Cake Shop Worker Compensated

Discrimination against disabled employees is a social evil with which Employment Tribunals (ETs) will have no truck. In one case, a cake shop worker who was dismissed because of her diabetes was awarded thousands of pounds in compensation.

The woman’s condition meant that, without daily…

Oct 18, 2021

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The woman’s condition meant that, without daily insulin injections, she would suffer a hypoglycaemic episode and fall into a coma. At the date of her dismissal, she was in stage B renal failure. In sacking her by text, her manager expressed the view that she needed to find a job more suitable to her health requirements.

Upholding her disability discrimination claim, an ET found that the only possible explanation for her dismissal was the fact of her disability and her unavoidable need to go home at a particular time of day so that she could inject herself with insulin in temperature-controlled and hygienic conditions.

Having had an exemplary record throughout her working life, she was distressed and embarrassed by the circumstances of her dismissal and worried that she would never find another job. She felt completely worthless and limited because of her disability. The company that employed her was ordered to pay her a total of £7,343 in compensation and interest, including £5,000 for injury to her feelings.

Saleswoman Wins Maternity Discrimination Claim

An award-winning saleswoman who was not allowed to return to her former role after taking maternity leave, resulting in a significant reduction in her earnings, has succeeded in her maternity discrimination claim before an Employment Tribunal (ET). Prior to taking maternity leave, the woman had worked in her employer’s ‘web team’. The web team generated the most income for her employer and the most commission for salespeople. She claimed that her employer had confirmed that she would return to…

Disabilities Take Many Forms But Must Always Be Taken Seriously

No matter what shape or form a disability may take, employers are always required to take them seriously. An Employment Tribunal (ET) made that point in the case of a teaching assistant who suffered from a severe phobia of coming into contact with other people’s bodily fluids. The woman made no secret of her phobia, of which her employer was fully aware and which was agreed to be a disability. She became anxious after learning that a disabled pupil who required intimate care, including nappy…

Sexual Harassment and the Rights of Accused Employees – Guideline Ruling

Sensible employers take accusations of sexual harassment very seriously indeed. As an Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) ruling underlined, however, the rights of any employee accused of such harassment must be treated with equal gravity. The case concerned a male scientist who was accused of sexual harassment by a female colleague. Following a lengthy grievance procedure, a panel found, on the balance of probabilities, that he had attempted to hug and kiss her when they were in a car together…