Supermarket chain, Morrisons face paying out compensation claims to more than 5,000 of their staff after the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s ruling in regard to Morrisons being liable for the data leak conducted by their former employee, Andrew Skelton.

The supermarket chain is now involved in the UK’s first data leak group action, due to Mr Skelton’s actions in 2014, in which the former senior internal auditor leaked payroll data whilst working at Morrison’s head office in Bradford.

The claimants are a mixture of both former and current employee, who allege that the data breach enabled them vulnerable to the possibility of identity theft and financial losses. This has been ruled as Morrison’s responsibility, and they are therefore in breach of data protection, privacy and confidence laws.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) have insisted that small business owners step up and lead the discussion on mental health, in order to destigmatise it in the workplace. 

Current statistics show that one in four people within the UK have experienced mental health problems, and according to the Government’s 2017 Thriving in work report, over 300,000 people in the UK lost their jobs due to long-term mental health issues.

FSB has recently conducted research, which revealed that more than one in five cases reported to FSB care - the health and medical service for FSB members - involved mental health issues.

In July of this year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) promised to inject money in to organisations, in order to provide the essential adjustments needed to increase employment opportunities for workers with disabilities.

The DWP is now acting on this promise alongside Watford MP, Richard Harrington, who recently announced an increase in funding to the Watford area, which will benefit disabled workers. This comes after Mr Harrington invited fellow MP Sarah Newton, the Disabilities Minister, to the Watford Workshop to discuss the end of the Work Choice employment programme, alongside its Chief Executive, Linda McIntyre, who stated:

“I am thrilled by this announcement, as it clearly shows the government’s commitment to supporting disabled people in work”.

Mr Harrington added:

Following the closure of the Gender Recognition Act consultation, many people have voiced their opinions regarding the need to reform the act, due to a variety of problematic issues.

The Employment Lawyers Association (ELA) have discussed the negative implications of the Gender Recognition 2004 act and have called for a repeal of section 22 of the act, which they believe inadvertently criminalises innocent members of staff, especially HR employees who assist trans job seekers.

Section 22 of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 states:

Business Secretary, Greg Clark has announced the implementation of new measures to support organisations, entrepreneurs, and workers, in accordance with the Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy.

One of the more prolific changes is the Government’s plan to ensure that all tips left for employees are given in full, rather than employers taking their staff’s well-earned gratuities.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy stated:

The UK government have recently discussed plans addressing workplace discrimination by requiring employers to report their organisations ethnicity pay gap.

On the 11^th of October, Theresa May launched a consultation in order to determine the need for organisations to report ethnic imbalances in the workplace, as the prime minister relayed that ethnic minority workers can “feel they’re hitting a brick wall when it comes to career progression.”

The government and some PR industry leaders feel reporting is necessary, with statistics showing that 15.6 per cent of ethnic minorities are in the lowest pay bracket.

Essex-based Dental nurses, Billie-Jo Janes and Jessica Rowley have recently been awarded a total of £16,000 for unfair redundancy, due to their inability to work full-time, as working mothers.

In July 2017, the two women were informed of their redundancy, with the explanation that their employer had no need for part-time workers, and as working mums they could not adhere to the dental practices demands. 

Both Miss Janes and Miss Rowley contacted their union, Unite, working together to bring the surgery to an Employment Tribunal, after being offered insufficient compensation from the surgery.

The employer was taken to an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal regarding gender discrimination, where Judge Foxwell ruled that the dental practice was guilty of “unlawful indirect sex discrimination”.

The Employment Tribunal awarded a pay-out each of £6,000 plus £498 interest for “injury to feelings for unlawful indirect sex discrimination”, with added payments for statutory rights and loss earnings, resulting in a total of £7,500 awarded to Miss Jane, 26 and £8,159 awarded to Miss Rowley, 29.

After the ruling, Miss Rowley, who has now found a position at another dental surgery, stated: