Employment law brief: 7 May 2021

• Are foster carers workers?
• Constructive dismissal: too late to make amends.
• Striking out a litigant in person’s case.

Employment status is always on the menu in employment law. The first case considered this month addresses ‘worker’ status, but with two twists—it arose in the context of trade union law, and its subject is the very unusual legal position of foster carers. The Court of Appeal has come down in their favour, stressing how specific to their case the decision is, but encouragement is given to appeal further to the Supreme Court where the gloves would be off and reconsideration could be given to their position in the law generally, possibly leading to the extension to them of employment rights generally. The second case addresses a potentially important issue in human relations practice—if management has behaved badly to an employee who is threatening to leave and claim constructive