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08 October 2009 / Ian Smith
Issue: 7388 / Categories: Features , Employment
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A legal treasure trove

The decision in Amnesty International v Ahmed is a treasure trove of law on the meaning of direct discrimination, with subsidiary points on constructive dismissal and the relationship between these two areas. It is a lengthy judgment which merits being read in full by anyone practising in this area. As the guidance is from the EAT president, it is likely to be taken to heart by tribunals.

This month, unusually, this column concentrates on just two cases. One is of considerable topicality, concerning large pay-offs to already well-remunerated public sector executives and shows a novel application of the doctrine of ultra vires, not just to attack the substance of the agreement, but to overturn a compromise agreement containing it.

However, the first case to consider, while not so high profile is, in a legal sense potentially more important because it contains a major statement of principle by the president of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) on the approach to be taken by tribunals as to the meaning of discrimination.

The Amnesty International case

The

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joinscorporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Media and technology expert joins employment team as partner in Cambridge

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
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