1/ Rentplus UK v Coulson: Another HHJ Tayler judgment to keep in your "Essential case law" folder. Almost everything you need to know about the s.207A TULR(C)A uplift in 1 neat, concise judgment. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62907f52… #ukemplaw
2/ The case concerned a redundancy dismissal for a senior director. The ET found the redundancy process a sham, merely used as a vehicle for a dismissal decided on beforehand.
The ET awarded a 25% uplift for failures to comply with the ACAS Code.
The EAT upheld the uplift.
3/ HHJ Tayler provided lots of useful comments on the law on the uplift. First, a simple statement of the 4 stages of the s.207A test (though see Slade v Biggs for a 4-stage breakdown of the last question):
4/ 2ndly, a clear statement that in order to get an uplift for breach of the ACAS disciplinary process, it isn't necessary that misconduct or poor performance is found, merely that there's an issue of misconduct/poor performance the employer considers it must address.
5/ 3rdly, obiter disagreement with the ratio in Phoenix v Stockman (the 2016 version) that s.207A is inapplicable to an SoSR dismissal. The Stockman judgment survives for the moment (just), but the death knell has been sounded for the next case on which the EAT has to look at it.
6/ 4thly, the fact an ET finds there to be unlawful discrimination in the dismissal clearly does not take the case outside of the province of s.207A.
7/ 5thly, where an employer applies a procedure consistently with the code but does so in bad faith (for example, to effect a sham redundancy process), that does not amount to compliance with the Code and the s.207A uplift can apply.
8/ @42BR_Employment roommate @RadBarrister appeared for the employer & enabled the EAT to give this useful guidance.
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1/ Sejpal v Rodericks Dental Ltd: a must-read case in which the EAT finds the worker status test is very simple, & then throws hand grenades under the reliance on an unfettered right of substitution as a way of denying worker status. caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/eat/2022/91 #ukemplaw
2/ The appeal concerns the question of whether a dismissed dentist was a worker under the ERA (s.230) and in employment under the EqA (s.83(2)). In simple terms, we're looking at questions of limb (b) worker status.
3/ The contractual position was one in which S had worked under an "Associateship Contract" throughout the relevant periods. It had a substitution clause (of which more later) & a clause saying it was a contract for services and not an employment contract.
1/ DWP v Boyers: When considering a s.15 EqA claim re dismissal of a long absent employee, it's appropriate for the ET to look outside the strict contractual terms when reviewing proportionality & the potential solutions to avoid dismissal. gov.uk/employment-app… #ukemplaw
2/ In this case, B had been an admin assistant for 12 years. She was disabled as a result of chronic migraines & anxiety. She considered this to be exacerbated by a colleague & fell out with management due to how they failed to deal with the issue.
3/ After some time, B went off sick. She remained off work for the last 11 months of employment save a 6-week period of a work trial elsewhere. She'd refused to allow DWP to see OH reports & said she wasn't well enough to attend the capability meetings.
1/ Singh v Metroline West Ltd: It was a fundamental breach of contract to deliberately not pay wages due - it was immaterial that the employer took this action to encourage the employee to engage in a disciplinary process. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62a208e9… #ukemplaw
2/ In this case, S's contract provided for entitlement to contractual sick pay. S went off sick, it being possible that he did so in order to avoid disciplinary proceedings. S's contract allowed for cessation of sick pay if a thorough investigation found the employee not sick.
3/ There was no such investigation in this case. The employer merely ceased S's contractual sick pay for 7 weeks in order to encourage his participation in the disciplinary process which the employee suspected he'd gone off sick to avoid taking part in.
1/ Dafiaghor-Olomu v Community Integrated Care: In a case where the statutory cap applies & compensation is paid pursuant to an ET order, no credit is given for that payment as against the statutory cap is compensation is then revised upwards. #ukemplaw
2/ The above may sound confusing. The facts will make things simpler. D won her ordinary unfair dismissal claim & CIC was ordered to pay c.£46k in compensation. D then successfully appealed the remedy judgment & on remission the ET decided she was entitled to c.129k compensation.
3/ The relevant statutory cap at the time was £74,200. Should the £46k count against the cap (so that c.£28k remained owing on the remitted judgment) or should the £46k be taken off the £129k so that CIC now had to pay the statutory cap amount of £74,200?
2/ In short (as relevant), S was dismissed from employment by N (R1). R2 was a company owning all shares in R1. R4 is the chair of R2 (& chief exec of another respondent, R3). S brought a standard EqA claim against R1, s.110-112 claims against R2 & a s.112 claim against R4.
3/ R2 had a power of attorney to allow its director to execute documents terminating R1's employment. S had notes of a meeting suggesting his dismissal was discussed with R4 & that culture played a part. S's claim was that being non-Lithuanian was central to his dismissal.
1/ The EAT's judgment in Rodgers v Leeds Laser Cutting has been handed down, but hasn't yet reached the National Archives or EAT website, & I'm not technically proficient enough to upload a copy. Which means you'll have to take my word about what it says! #ukemplaw
2/ The case involves a laser operator who, at the very start of 1st lockdown stopped going in to work. He had a young child with sickle cell anaemia & a young baby at risk as well. R was concerned about their risk of catching Covid.
3/ R's workplace was massive - the size of 1/2 a football pitch, usually with only 5 people working there. Social distancing wasn't a problem. LLC had also taken expert safety advice & put in place plenty of Covid precautions.