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Equality Act 2010
Equality Act 2010 timeline
Local fruit farm guilty of serious racial discrimination against Polish workers
A local fruit farm has been ordered to pay substantial sums to 2 Polish workers forced to live in “appalling conditions”. A total of £26,000 is to be paid by David Leslie Fruits for withholding wages and for racial discrimination.
Cross nurse cross with discrimination result
A nurse yesterday lost her battle to wear a crucifix at work after a judge ruled she should have compromised with hospital bosses.
An employment tribunal decided Shirley Chaplin, 54, had not suffered religious discrimination at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital when matrons asked her to remove her necklace on safety grounds.
But she said: "This is a very bad day for Christianity."
The grandmother from Kenn, near Exeter, was told to remove the necklace as it could be pulled by one of the elderly and confused patients she was caring for.
The hospital said she could pin it to her uniform, but she refused. Ms Chaplin's case was rejected by judge John Hollow, who said she should have accepted the offer.
Dead relative is not luggage!
Police have arrested two women after they tried to take the body of a dead relative onto a plane at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
A 66 year old grandmother has been placed under a curfew order for selling a gold fish to a 14 year old boy sent in by trading standards as part of a ‘sting operation’. She was also fined £1,000.
The curfew order means that she has to wear a ‘tag’ and is stuck at home between 6pm and 7am making it impossible for her to babysit her great-grandson.
The prosecution was brought under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Act makes it illegal to sell pets to children under the age of 16 unless accompanied by an adult. Pet shops must also provide advice on animal welfare to buyers.
Cross nurse goes to employment tribunal
A nurse banned from the wards for wearing a cross is to take her battle to an industrial tribunal today – backed by bishops who say British Christians face are being discriminated against in their own country.
Six bishops and Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, complained in an open letter the "apparent discrimination" against churchgoers was "unacceptable in a civilised society".
The letter which referred the case of nurse Shirley Chaplin also claimed Christian beliefs on issues such as marriage and homosexuality have been brushed aside by new legislation. In their letter, the bishops said: "We are deeply concerned at the apparent discrimination shown against Christians and we call on the Government to remedy this serious development.
Mrs Chaplin, 54, a Christian nurse re-assigned to an office role after refusing to take off a necklace bearing a cross, will take her case to an employment tribunal in Exeter.
The trust has stated its policy was nothing to do with the crucifix specifically but related to health and safety concerns about patients grabbing necklaces. But Mrs Chaplin claims the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust Hospital was trying to prevent her from expressing religious beliefs, and argues she has worked for the NHS for 30 years without her cross causing anyone an injury.
Trust human resources director Lynn Lane said: "The trust has fully acknowledged that this has become an important issue for Mrs Chaplin, which is why we offered her a number of different options in the hope that a mutually acceptable solution could be agreed. We are very disappointed that this matter could not have been resolved before now.
"For the trust, this has always been about compliance with our agreed uniform policy and the safety of staff and patients. Our policy on necklaces accords with most other trusts' dress codes and Department of Health guidelines.
"Sadly, it appears that Mrs Chaplin may have been deflected from agreeing a sensible and pragmatic resolution of this dispute by the involvement of other parties outside the trust."
The case follows that of Nadia Eweida, 58, who in February lost an appeal against a ruling which cleared British Airways of discrimination by stopping her wearing a cross visibly at work at Heathrow.
Compensation for hospital cancer negligence
Hospital pays compensation for failing to diagnose cancer
Harassment and Bullying
Gordon Brown has been all over the news recently in connection with allegations of bullying at number 10, but no Employer can afford to be complacent about bullying and harassment.
What employers may be unaware of is that they have a responsibility to prevent bullying and harassment in the workplace and can be held liable if they have not taken reasonable steps to prevent it.
See our pages on bullying and harassment.
Time off for Training
The Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 has introduced a new right for employees to request time off to train which comes into effect from 6th April 2010 for businesses with 250 employees or more. This right will be extended in April 2011 to all businesses.
See more at our time off for training page in the services section of our web site.
No early release for Yorkshire Ripper
Justice Secretary Jack Straw has said there are "no circumstances" in which Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe could be released from prison.
Sutcliffe, 63, who murdered 13 women across northern England, has begun a legal bid to limit his time in jail.
He was given 20 life terms in 1981 for the murders and seven other attacks.
Sutcliffe, who is now known as Peter Coonan, is being held in Broadmoor top security psychiatric hospital.
He was transferred there from prison in 1984 after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
When he was sentenced at the Old Bailey in 1981 the trial judge, Mr Justice Boreham, recommended that he serve a minimum of 30 years behind bars. However no formal tariff was given.
It was revealed earlier this month that Sutcliffe was seeking a High Court ruling on how much longer he must spend in jail.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said they do not comment on individual cases, and that the decision for setting a minimum tariff was a matter for the High Court.
He added: "Ministers now have no involvement in setting tariffs and it would not be appropriate to enter into speculation as to the result.
"The setting of a tariff has no bearing on whether or not an individual is released from a secure hospital and into the prison system; discharge from hospital is a matter for doctors and for the independent mental health review tribunal.
"The tariff expiry point is not a date of release. It is the first point at which a prisoner can ask a parole board to consider their suitability for release."
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