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Employment law brief: 29 January 2015

29 January 2015 / Ian Smith
Issue: 7638 / Categories: Features , Employment
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Ian Smith addresses discrimination & considers a cautionary tale for employees

The most newsworthy decision as at the end of last year was clearly that of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Kaltoft v Kommunernes Landsforening C-354/13 which received by and large a hostile reception in the press along the lines of “EU says that obese people are disabled”. As always, it is not quite so simple, but it has led also to more considered criticisms in employer and health circles. As it happens, last month also saw a not-dissimilar judgment of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) on the question of caste discrimination, again raising a myriad of possible implications which will have to be considered in future litigation. The third case considered here again concerns discrimination, this time the requirement to make reasonable adjustments in disability cases, but the difference is that this one may act as a shot across the bows to employees rather than employers, in cases of long-term sickness absence.

The decision on obesity

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Serious injury teambolstered by high-profile partner hire

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Firm strengthens employment team with partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

Lawyers’ liability practice strengthened with partner appointment in London

NEWS
Commercial leasehold, the defence of insanity and ‘consent’ in the criminal law are among the next tranche of projects for the Law Commission
Tech companies will be legally required to prevent material that encourages or assists serious self-harm appearing on their platforms, under Online Safety Act 2023 regulations due to come into force in the autumn
The Bar has a culture of ‘impunity’ and ‘collusive bystanding’ in which making a complaint is deemed career-ending due to a ‘cohort of untouchables’ at the top, Baroness Harriet Harman KC has found
Lawyers have broadly welcomed plans to electronically tag up to 22,000 more offenders, scrap most prison terms below a year and make prisoners ‘earn’ early release
David Lammy, Ellie Reeves and Baroness Levitt have taken up office at the Ministry of Justice, following the cabinet reshuffle
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