April 2021 - Didlaw

Another case on the gig economy – this time Addison Lee

30 April 2021

A few weeks ago I reported on the Supreme Court’s seismic decision in the Uber drivers’ case. This week saw the Uber decision start to be consolidated in case law in the Court of Appeal’s dismissal of an appeal by the courier company Addison Lee against a claim of worker status by three of their […]

Didlaw secures £2.5 million Employment Tribunal award for disabled Claimant

29 April 2021

Today, I have a huge smile on my face. Yesterday afternoon, my client, David Barrow secured a huge and well-deserved victory against his former employer, KBR for their callous decision to unfairly dismiss him for discriminatory reasons. London South Employment Tribunal awarded Mr Barrow a total employment tribunal award of £2,567,831.96, which included a rare, […]

Re-Engagement should not be ordered when trust and confidence has broken down

28 April 2021

Most Employment Tribunal claimants are solely seeking financial compensation for their past and future loss of earnings. However occasionally a claimant will seek, and the Tribunal will make, an order for reinstatement of the claimant to their former position or re-engagement in a new position. This was the case in the recent Court of Appeal […]

the disability employment gap

27 April 2021

Whilst the disability employment gap has narrowed in recent years, a significant difference remains in the employment rates of disabled people compared to non-disabled employees and the coronavirus pandemic has not helped address these inequalities. Data published this month shows that 8.4 million people of working age (some 20% of the working population) have a […]

Can I sack my carer for refusing the vaccine?

26 April 2021

I’ve been asked a number of times on twitter about whether it’s possible to sack your carer if they refuse the COVID-19 vaccine. Some thoughts on this below. As usual with law it’s not simple – certainly not a one line answer – but hopefully here are some useful pointers. It’s weird to think that […]

“You are such an insolent girl”…

23 April 2021

…said the Tory Peer to the grown woman. It all started so well. Lord Ranger used his maiden speech last year in the House of Lords to advocate for women stating “empowerment and equality for women everywhere is a necessity,” However, it was recently reported that Lord Ranger was found by the Watford Employment Tribunal […]

Fire and Re-Hire – The Centrica Saga Continues

22 April 2021

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the increasing use of ‘Fire and Re-Hire’ in the lockdown economy with employers seeking to downgrade the terms and conditions of their staff by forcing them to sign new contracts under the threat of dismissal. The practice of fire and rehire has been in the media due to […]

will vaccines be mandatory for care home staff?

21 April 2021

Last week the government launched a 5-week consultation regarding plans to mandate all elderly care home staff in England to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This could see the jab requirement for these workers introduced as early as this summer. SAGE has advised that 80% of staff and 90% of residents should be vaccinated to provide […]

Covid vaccine passports could create a “two-tier society”

20 April 2021

A hot topic amongst employers is whether employees should be vaccinated before returning to work in the office. This has led to a large debate over the impact covid vaccine passports would have on society. A few of my colleagues have written really great blogs on this subject which you should read if you have […]