Weekly issue 559

Barriers At Work

The government last week commissioned research to look at what employers are doing to remove barriers to workplace progression for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) workers (…).

Direct Offer

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has held in Kostal UK Ltd v Dunkley and ors that employers cannot go over the heads of unions recognised for collective bargaining purposes and make offers directly to the workforce, if the purpose and effect is so that the workers’ terms will not be determined by collective agreement negotiated by the union.Thompsons was instructed by Unite the Union’s Strategic Case Unit to act on behalf of its members. (…).

Perceived Disability

The Equality Act states that it is direct discrimination to treat someone less favourably than someone else because of a protected characteristic, such as disability. In Chief Constable of Norfolk v Coffey, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) held that it is also direct discrimination to treat someone less favourably because they are perceived to have a disability (…).