OH News

Royal Mail case shows importance of considering redeployment before dismissal A recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) case shows employers a clear reminder of the importance of considering redeployment before dismissing a disabled employee. The employee, Mr Ian Budgen, was dismissed by Royal Mail because he was often absent due to health problems over several years. […]

Record £4.5m award for disability discrimination A former local council employee has been awarded over £4.5m compensation for disability discrimination and harassment. The employee was dismissed from London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in 2018. An employment tribunal found she had suffered disability discrimination in 2021, with the remedy award just finalised. The record £4.58m

Failure to make adjustments results in £50k settlement The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) in Northern Ireland has settled a disability discrimination case for £50,000, without an admission of liability. The Equality and Human Rights Commission supported a worker with impaired hearing to bring the claim, following an allegedly flawed recruitment process. The worker, Mr. Christopher

£25k award for Dyspraxia discrimination Details of the compensation paid to an employee with Dyspraxia have just need made public. Kerry Pearce was a Midwife at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust, who took her employer to Court in 2022. Ms Pearce alleged that she had been constructively dismissed, had been discriminated against due to her Dyspraxia and anxiety.

Employee awarded £12k compensation after dismissal without medical advice A worker has been awarded over £12,000 compensation after being dismissed following a “sham” redundancy process that did not take medical advice into account. The employee, Tommy Glen, was dismissed in 2023 following an accident at work and a series of health issues. Mr Glenn had worked for the employer, Blue

Sue Britton Bursary Award 2024 A student at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, part of Queen Mary University London, has been awarded the 2024 Sue Britton Bursary Award. Sue Britton was a double-lung transplantee who passed away in 2020. She had worked in occupational health for many years. The bursary award

OH provider strongly criticised by Tribunal An OH provider and an employer have been criticised by an Employment Judge. Employment tribunals expect employers to make reasonable adjustments to support employees who may have a disability. Claims for Disability Discrimination often succeed because an employer has failed to make adjustments to a role, to try to accommodate a disability. Very rarely, occupational health

Case shows Equality Act applies even without a diagnosis Employees experiencing work-related stress can potentially take legal action against their employers for disability discrimination, even without a formal mental illness diagnosis, according to a recent decision from an employment judge. This decision arose from a case involving an NHS worker pursuing a discrimination claim against Aneurin Bevan University Health

Law firm failed to address health needs  A Director at law firm Duncan Lewis has been found to have been unfairly dismissed, after the firm failed to address the health needs arising from his disability. The Claimant, Mr. Orogbu, was fatigued during 2020 and his performance standards had dropped. He was subject to performance targets,

£134k award for disability discrimination A wholly owned subsidiary of the London Borough of  Hounslow, Coalo Ltd, has been ordered to pay over £134,000 in compensation at an Employment Tribunal. The Tribunal found the employer guilty of disability discrimination against an employee who had a bad back. The Tribunal also found the employer had failed to