Top 5 for Busy People: 

1. £7,500 payout: Disability discrimination case settled against Translink 🚍
2. No job if you back the ‘wrong’ team: Judge rules bosses can reject football rival fans ⚽
3. Unions & rights groups unite: Calls grow for Education Minister to reinstate Trans guidance 📢
4. Fraud law shake-up: Whistleblowers face the ultimate test 🕵️‍♀️
5. Beyond the rainbow: How employers can truly help LGBTQIA+ staff thrive 🌈

In other news................there's still time to join Christine, Seamus and special guest Jason Elliott BL for the Employment Law at 11 Case Law Special: Why Clear Contracts matter this morning!

**Please note that a small number of people are experiencing some issues with our website, which may have impacted your view of the Friday Round-Up. If this is the case, please hold down Ctrl, Shift and the 'R' key. Hopefully this resolves any technical issues and you can view the full Friday-Round-Up. We apologise for any inconvenience in this regard.**

1. Annual Review Session of the Week - A Solicitor’s Guide for HR: Negotiated Exits – How Safe Are They?
2. Case Law Reviews
3. AI and Employment Law
4. New fraud law puts whistleblowing to the ultimate test
5. Disability discrimination case settled against Translink for £7500
6. Trans Rights
7. Bosses can reject applicants who support rival football team to existing staff, judge says
8. Health & Wellbeing at Work
9. Just in Case You Missed It...
10. HR Developments
11. Employment News in the Media
12. GB Developments
13. Free Webinars This Month

Think an off-the-record chat with an employee is harmless? Think again. Even informal conversations about performance, exit packages, or settlements can come back as evidence in a tribunal.

Join Louise McAloon, Partner at Worthingtons, to learn how HR can handle sensitive discussions safely, avoid common legal pitfalls, and know when to call in legal support. Essential insight for HR professionals in Northern Ireland – don’t risk assuming the law has your back.

Find out more HERE.

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Lowry v Department for the Economy [2025] NIIT 27247/23

Summary Description: 

Claimant was unable to make a redundancy claim through the department when her company was liquidated even though she claimed to be an employee of that company.

Claimant: 

Hilary Lowry

Respondent: 

Department for the Economy

Practical Guidance for Employers:

The Tribunal has had to deal with some of these claims for redundancy over the past year.  In Hassard v Department for the Economy [2025] it was found that the claimant who was a director was also an employee and able to make the claim.  The distinction here is the operation outside of the contract of employment by having that benefit of sick pay which the other employees would not have.  That meant that the claimant ceased to operate as an employee and therefore the redundancy payment through the Department could not succeed.

Read the Review in full: Lowry v Department for the Economy [2025]

Ward v McAnulty t/a Yellowline Coaches [2025] NIIT 38912/24

Summary Description: 

Application to amend the claim was refused as it would be unfairly prejudicial to the respondent.

Claimant: 

Jacqueline Ward

Respondent: 

Declan McAnulty t/a Yellowline Coaches

Practical Guidance for Employers:

The Tribunal demonstrates the considerations when determining an application to amend a claim and to add further claims.  This includes the prejudice to the other party in relation to costs and delay but also looks at the substance of the overall claim.  This demonstrates a strong link to the overriding objective in ensuring, not only fairness, but avoiding unnecessary delay and expense.  The Tribunal also considered the statutory time limit and how it still needs to be considered otherwise amending claims could be a back-door avenue to have out of time claims.

Read the Review in full: Ward v McAnulty t/a Yellowline Coaches [2025]

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These case reviews were written by Jason Elliott BL.  NI Tribunal decisions are available on the OITFET website.

If you have any queries or wish to comment on the reports please feel free to contact Jason at: jasondelliott@outlook.com 

Jason Elliott was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2013 and is the Associate Head of School of Law at Ulster University. As a practising barrister, he has developed a largely civil practice representing individuals, companies and public bodies in litigation.  This covers a wide range of areas including personal injuries, wills and employment law. In terms of employment law, he has represented both applicants and respondents in the Industrial Tribunal.   At Ulster University, Jason lectures extensively on the civil areas of practise such as Equity and Trusts and delivers employment law lectures for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Remember: Our case law reviews are held in our case law section on our fully-searchable employment law hub website.

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Grant Thornton Advisors to invest $1bn into AI tools and technologies

The investment will be carried out over the next three years and will target Grant Thornton Advisor’s global workforce. Global provider of professional services Grant Thornton Advisors LLC has announced its intentions to invest $1bn into powering AI tools and technologies across its internationally dispersed workforce. The investment is being led by New Mountain Capital, a growth-oriented investment firm with approximately $55bn in assets. Silicon Republic has more.

OpenAI to launch jobs platform linking employers and AI experts

The ChatGPT maker wants the new platform to match employers with workers who have the AI skills they need. OpenAI has announced plans to develop a platform to introduce employers to job hunters with skills in artificial intelligence (AI), as a means of improving AI fluency and increasing the use of modern technologies across companies and government departments. It will be called the OpenAI Jobs Platform and it is expected to launch in mid-2026. Read all about it in Silicon Republic here.

HR or HR plus Chief AI Enablement Officer?

This week Barry Phillips considers the evolving shape of HR in the fast moving world of AI.

You can also access the episode here.

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A new corporate offence called “failure to prevent fraud” came into force on Monday 1 September, putting large organisations squarely in the crosshairs of prosecutors. Under the law, companies can be held criminally liable if they profit from fraudulent activity committed by anyone connected to the business.  If charged, the burden will be on the organisation to prove it had “reasonable” anti-fraud procedures in place. The offence applies to businesses meeting at least two of three criteria: having more than 250 employees, turnover above £36m or assets of at least £18m. More on it here.

Legal Island's eLearning course Fraud Awareness at Work is just the course to upskill your workforce on this new offence. Find out more.

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A Belfast student has settled her disability discrimination case against Translink for £7500. The case was supported by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Rosie Pidgeon, who uses an electric wheelchair, regularly travels on the Glider to and from her college course at Millfield campus in Belfast. To disembark, Miss Pidgeon must press a specific blue bell, while the Glider is moving, to alert the driver to lower the ramp at the next stop. Read more here.

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Scottish Government has seven days to respond to new For Women Scotland legal case

Feminist campaigners have lodged new legal proceedings against the Scottish Government over its failure to adhere to a Supreme Court ruling. For Women Scotland successfully challenged the government in a case that saw the apex court rule that “sex” in law means biological sex. Despite April’s ruling, ministers have failed to update guidance for schools and prisons that the group says is now unlawful. Current official guidance still treats “sex” and “gender identity” interchangeably, allowing men to be housed in women’s prisons and schoolchildren to share mixed sex facilities. Scotsman has more.

Education Unions, Children's Rights Groups and LGBTQIA+ Organisations call on Education Minister to Reinstate Trans Guidance

A group of youth organisations, LGBTQIA+ charities and education unions representing thousands of teaching and non-teaching staff across Northern Ireland have condemned the Education Minister’s removal of guidance for supporting trans youth in education, urging him to reinstate the guidance in a joint statement co-ordinated by The Rainbow Project. Alexa Moore, Policy Campaigns and Communications Manager at The Rainbow Project, said,

“All of our young people are entitled to and should enjoy the best possible education that we can offer them – including LGBT pupils. The Minister’s removal of this guidance at the very start of the school term hasn’t been good for pupils, for teachers, or for parents. We urge him to reinstate the guidance and meaningfully engage with the young people affected by his decisions.”

More from ICTUNI here.

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There are times when disagreements about football in the workplace cross the line from fun banter to downright rudeness or abuse. An employment judge has now ruled that people can legally be turned down for a job if they happen to support the rival team followed by existing staff. Employers are entitled to base recruitment decisions on whether a prospective colleague might “damage office harmony”, by not supporting the same team, employment judge Daniel Wright said. Read more here.

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Sickness absence soars to nearly two weeks per head in 2025

The average UK employee took nearly two full working weeks of sickness absence in the past year, a record high and a 62% increase on pre-pandemic levels. The CIPD’s 2025 Health and Wellbeing at Work report, supported by Simplyhealth, found that the annual level of sickness absence, according to a YouGov survey of 1,100 HR professionals completed in April 2025, had reached 9.4 days per employee, on average. This compares to 5.8 days’ sickness absence in late 2019, before the Covid pandemic, and 7.8 days in 2023 when the survey was last carried out. More from Personnel Today.

CIPD - Health & Wellbeing at Work Report

The CIPD have released their Survey Report on Health and Wellbeing at Work. Have a read HERE.

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Q&A with Arthur Cox

Stay ahead of the curve with our exclusive Q&A series, brought to you by leading law firm, Arthur Cox, LLP, designed to answer your most pressing legal questions. These expert insights provide clear guidance to ensure your HR practices remain compliant and protect your organisation.

• What data protection duties should Employers be aware of when conducting “Right to Work” checks? 
   
  
• What should an employer be aware of when obtaining a medical report on an employee? 
   
  
• Do agency workers have rights after a certain period of employment? 

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Talent coaching: How to develop and retain high performers

72% of organisations say coaching drives employee engagement. But despite this clear link, many still treat coaching as a nice-to-have – not the strategic advantage it is. Most companies say they want to develop their people. But when it comes to real investment, coaching often gets sidelined – reserved for senior leaders, high-stakes moments, or performance issues. High-performing organisations take a different approach. For them, talent coaching isn’t a perk – it’s part of the plan. HRD Connect has more.

Beyond the rainbow: How employers can help LGBTQIA+ employees thrive

Most LGBTQIA+ individuals have gone on a deeply personal journey to get to where they are today. For many of us we have experienced shame and had internal battles about how to be our true self in a world that isn’t always accepting of who we are. Given we spend around a third of our lives at work, our workplace needs to be a supportive and caring environment. For LGBTQIA+ individuals, this means going above and beyond the flags, hashtags, and media campaigns of “Pride Month”.
More from HR Director.

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Long-term reductions to working hours could improve work-life balance and productivity, according to an extensive research project by academics and employment researchers. The research, carried out by Professor Phil Taylor from the University of Strathclyde with support from the Alex Ferry Foundation, the Institute of Employment Rights and the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU), looked at working patterns and desired working arrangements across manufacturing sites in the UK. Personnel Today has more.

A former manager at Sainsbury’s who was subjected to aggressive behaviour by a male colleague, but was told it was due to her poor management of him, has been awarded almost £60,000 for constructive unfair dismissal, whistleblowing detriment and sex discrimination. Customer trading manager (CTM) Miss Oziel had been called a “bitch” by her colleague, Mr Henderson, who was a lower grade but not a direct report. She had been later cornered in a small, windowless office when he was aggressive towards her, only to be criticised by managers for turning on her body-worn camera to discourage his behaviour. Read more.

Gregg Wallace has launched legal action against the BBC after his dismissal from MasterChef, according to filings with the High Court. He was sacked from the long-running programme in July after an inquiry into allegations of inappropriate conduct on set. The inquiry, commissioned by production company Banijay, upheld 45 allegations against the presenter. More from Personnel Today. 

A veteran estate agent has been awarded more than £21,000 after successfully suing his bosses for being given a desk that did not reflect his seniority. Nicholas Walker, 53, furiously resigned from Robsons Estate Agents in Herfordshire over the table position row. The former manager's anger flared after he moved branches and told he would sit at a 'middle' desk rather than the 'back' one, typically seen as the manager's spot. Read all about it in the Dail Mail.

Jaguar Land Rover's (JLR) UK factories are now expected to remain closed until at least Wednesday after work was disrupted by a cyber attack just over a week ago. The car plants at Halewood and Solihull and its Wolverhampton engine facility, along with production facilities in Slovakia, China and India, have been unable to operate since the company fell victim to the cyber attack. Staff who work on the production lines have been told to remain at home. BBC has more.

“Decisive and radical” steps need to be taken to change a “culture of denial” which permits bullying, harassment and sexual harassment among barristers in England and Wales, a report has found. The report, authored by Labour peer Baroness Harriet Harman and published on Monday, also found there was a culture of “impunity” and “collusive bystanding” at the Bar which prevented victims from speaking out, out of fear for their careers. The Independent has the full report.

Spending less than an hour during work browsing properties or shopping online is not a sackable offence, a UK judge has ruled. An accountancy administrator has been awarded more than £14,000 after an employment tribunal ruled the time she spent browsing sites such as Rightmove and Amazon was not "excessive". She was fired from her job in July 2023 after her employer used spy software to track her computer to find out she had been using it for personal matters. BBC has the full story.

An office manager who called her manager and another director ‘dickheads’ during a meeting was unfairly dismissed, a tribunal has ruled. Kerrie Herbert worked for Main Group Services, a scaffolding and brickwork company, alongside her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Thomas and Anna Swannell, who were operations manager and managing director respectively. Her role included the day-to-day running of the office, carrying out tasks such as overseeing payroll, arranging meetings and covering office duties in the absence of administration staff. More from Personnel Today.

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New strategy launched as workplace conflict rises

The new Acas strategy will help to support economic stability by reducing the cost of conflict – estimated to be £28.5 billion – through increased prevention, improved management, and earlier resolution of disputes. This builds on strong results from our previous strategy, which saw record levels of disputes resolved without the need for a tribunal. This comes as we experience increased demand for our services and ahead of major new employment law reforms.

• New Acas-commissioned YouGov polling of over 1,000 employees in Great Britain finds that 44% of workers who knew of conflict in their organisation over the last 3 years said it has increased, compared to just 13% who say it has decreased.
   
  
• The same survey reveals that pay, working patterns, and capability and performance are now among the top causes of workplace conflict.
   
  
• Latest figures show we handled 117,000 individual disputes in 2024-25, the highest number since the covid-19 pandemic.

Read more about the strategy here.

Struggling with these issues in your workplace? Or just looking to upskill? Why not join us at our upcoming event Practical Skills for Confronting & Preventing Conflict at Work. More info HERE.

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Employment Law at 11 Case Law Special: Why Clear Contracts Matter

📅 TODAY!

🕒 11am to 11.45am

📍 Live online | Free to attend

Register here. 

Vague, contradictory, or poorly drafted contracts can cost employers dearly, and Northern Ireland tribunals are making that crystal clear.

Employment Law at 11 regulars Christine Quinn of Legal Island and Seamus McGranaghan of O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors are joined this month by special guest Jason Elliott BL for a focused session unpacking recent decisions that show exactly how unclear wording can backfire.

We’ll break down:

• O’Neill & Durkan v Belfast HSC Trust – Contract void for uncertainty, holiday pay awarded.
  
• Cassidy v Doma (NI) Ltd – Confusing notice clauses? Claimant wins one month’s notice pay.
  
• Sweeney v Western Urgent Care Ltd – Pay basis unclear? Unlawful deduction claim upheld.
  
• McKay v Adatar Ltd – Missing clarity on notice and holiday pay? Another win for the claimant.
   
  

You’ll leave with:

• Real-world examples of what not to do in contract drafting
  
• Steps to tighten up your employment terms and conditions
  
• Insights on how tribunals approach ambiguity
  
  

Don’t wait until you’re in front of a tribunal, get your contracts right from the start.

🎁 Plus, get an exclusive preview of Legal Island’s new and improved Employment Law Hub - your go-to resource for staying confident and compliant. Don’t miss out!

Tell your HR colleagues and register individually or get your HR team around the computer and use the webinars as monthly group learning opportunities. Ask any questions (on employment law) and hear the answers live or catch up later when we upload both a recording and transcript of the discussion. Or catch up on Spotify, Amazon or Apple Music while you're on the go!

NOTE: – Send your questions in advance to gosia@legal-island.com. Anonymity assured.

Please note that the employment law matters discussed in this webinar apply primarily to Northern Ireland. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Legal Island

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