Top 5 for Busy People: 

1. The Fair Employment Act turns 50, here's what you might not know about it 🎂
2. Fair Work Agency secures its first conviction ⚖️
3. Right to work checks, a practical guide for employers 📋
4. Gen Z are faking productivity more than any other generation 😬
5. Anonymous complaints at work, how should employers handle them? 🤔

In other news................New season, new skills! Our Autumn Skill Builder for HR sessions have landed, with Workplace Coaching kicking things off in August. And don't forget, Hub subscribers can still bag 2 free places, even if they've already used their Spring allocation.💡

1. Case Law Reviews
2. AI and Employment Law
3. Skill Builder for HR: Workplace Coaching Skills
4. New PM
5. Economic outlook
6. Fraud
7. Right to work checks: an employer's guide
8. Fair Work Agency secures its first conviction
9. Pay gap widens as UK bosses get 130 times average worker’s salary
10. Just in Case You Missed It...
11. HR Developments
12. Employment News in the Media
13. GB Developments
14. Free Webinars This Month

Fisher v Greenview Group Holdings Ltd [2026] NIIT 14704/25

Summary Description: 

Following a takeover and restructuring, the claimant resigned but was unable to show evidence of there being a fundamental breach of contract.  As a result, the case was dismissed.

Claimant: 

Tanya Fisher

Respondent: 

Greenview Group Holdings Ltd

Practical Guidance for Employers:

The takeover of the company with the clear aim of restructuring to reduce costs had clearly led to stress and anxiety for many of the employees in this case.  The Tribunal made it very clear that the clear aim and purpose of the takeover was to reduce costs, restructure and then resale when the company was profitable.  This had to be taken into account in terms of the interactions between the management and the employees.  In this case, part of the issue seemed to be a willingness to go for voluntary redundancy but for that not to be an option.  When the resignation then took place there was no tangible evidence demonstrating a fundamental breach of contract.

Read the Review in full: Fisher v Greenview Group Holdings Ltd [2026]

Cunningham v BBC [2026] EAT 92

Summary Description: 

Employer did have knowledge of the claimant’s disability when she had outlined the diagnosis even if the actual effect was not fully outlined.

Claimant: 

Marguerite Andrea Cunningham

Respondent: 

BBC

Practical Guidance for Employers:

This case provides some useful guidance on the role of employers in determining whether there was knowledge of a disability.  In this case, the argument was that the employer did not know it was a disability even though the claimant had stated that there was a diagnosis.  Of course, the legal position requires certain elements (such as length, impairment, effect on day-to-day activities) but the employer cannot bury its head in the sand and think if those points are not expressly stated then no knowledge of disability arises.  Questions should be asked where there is a lack of detail.

Read the Review in full: Cunningham v BBC [2026]

NI Tribunal dismisses first gender critical belief discrimination claim

The Fair Employment Tribunal in Belfast has, for the first time, ruled on discrimination and harassment claims based on gender critical beliefs as a form of political opinion, in the closely watched case of Sara O'Gorman (Morrison) v Belfast Film Festival Limited. Although the claimant lost, the judgment offers useful early guidance for Northern Ireland employers navigating this fast-moving area of law. Read more from Orla Bingham, Managing Knowledge Lawyer, and Kevin Gallagher, Legal Director, Lewis Silkin (NI) LLP. 

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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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Displaced by AI? How to use tech to return to work

Irish career coaching firm Prosperity says AI is becoming a practical tool for jobseekers, helping them identify opportunities, improve applications and build confidence after redundancy. Read more.

Firm hacked by rogue OpenAI models says it is 'a wake up call'

The co-founder of Hugging Face, a technology start-up that was hacked after some of OpenAI's most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models went rogue, said the incident is "a wake up call" for the industry. Thomas Wolf told BBC's Newsday radio programme that "this will be one of the most common types of cyber attacks we see", but that most firms are not aware that the "game has changed". The ChatGPT-maker said its AI models broke out of a secure test environment during a trial and launched a cyber attack. More from the BBC.

The leadership test hiding inside every AI rollout

Leaders who involve teams early on in their AI rollouts get better results than those who power ahead. This might be the first digital technology that younger generations are more resistant to than older ones. And when you consider what AI is threatening to do to entry-level jobs across the professions, it’s not hard to see why. You can read more from HR Director.

AI for HR Weekly Podcast with Barry Phillips 🎙️

This week's episode:

Hub subscribers are beginning to request that our Chairman, Barry covers a particular AI topic in a future podcast. If you have a request, send it to him directly at barry@legal-island.com - he’ll feel like a DJ from the 80s…...🎧

You can tune into the latest episode right here - or, if you’re on the move, why not take us with you?

Listen on all major platforms: 🎧 Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Simply search for “AI for HR Weekly Podcast” and enjoy expert insights anytime, anywhere.

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Skill Builder for HR: Workplace Coaching Skills

📅DATE: 26 August 2026

🕒 12:30 - 14:00 (1 hour 30 mins)

📍 Live online 
 
Led by Marie Ferris of Thrive Coaching & Development, this practical Skill Builder session will help you develop workplace coaching skills you can apply immediately to performance conversations, employee development, and manager support. You'll leave with a simple framework and techniques to make your conversations more focused, productive, and impactful.

Your Skill Builder perk is back: 

• Get 2 free places at this Autumn’s Skill Builder for HR sessions. Even if you used your Spring allocation.
• Multi-user subscribers: each named user gets their own free places.
• Share with colleagues using code "HubGift". Just add places to your cart and enter the code at checkout for £0.
• Check your recent email for session details and claiming instructions (and your spam folder, just in case).

Find out more about all the upcoming Skill Builder for HR sessions HERE. 

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HR leaders react to new PM Andy Burnham

The new Prime Minister’s commitment to expanding mental health support, particularly for young people, is a welcome signal, and one we hope is matched with meaningful investment and delivery. HR Director has more.

Boost youth jobs by cutting employers' national insurance, MPs urge

The BBC reports employer national insurance (NI) contributions for all under-25s should be cut to boost job opportunities for young people, a group of MPs has urged. The Work and Pensions Committee said it has heard "overwhelming evidence" that rising employment costs, including from employer NI, were reducing training and job vacancies, particularly for young people. Over one million 16 to 24-year-olds are not in education, employment, or training (known as Neet). The committee said an employer NI cut for all under-25s would tackle this "travesty". Read here.

Stagnant pay shows new PM is right to pledge action on the cost of living – TUC

Responding to the latest labour market statistics and the government’s announcement on energy bills, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:
“Today’s figures show Andy Burnham is doing the right thing by pledging action on the cost of living…Working people are up against it with stagnant real pay, over a million people stuck on insecure zero-hour contracts, and a million young people not in employment, education, or training.” You can read the full press release here. 

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Northern Ireland Labour Market Statistics - July 2026

The labour market statistics were published by the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency:

NI employees had a median monthly pay of £2,480 in June 2026, an increase of £21 (0.9%) over the month and an increase of £115 (4.9%) over the year.

The proportion of people aged 16 to 64 in work (the employment rate) increased by 0.8pps over the quarter and increased by 0.1pps over the year to 72.1%.

NISRA, acting on behalf of the Department for the Economy, received confirmation that 60 redundancies occurred in June 2026, taking the annual total to 1,670, which was over twenty-three percent lower than the figure for the previous year (2,170).

You can read more on this.

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Charity worker admits £16,000 gift was 'wrong'

The BBC reports a charity worker on trial for fraud by abuse of position admitted accepting £16,000 of a sexual abuse survivor's compensation pay-out had been "morally wrong". Kathryn Kelwick is accused of acting dishonestly and against the interests of the complainant, whom she had been supporting as the vulnerable adults manager at Swinton Lock Activity Centre in Rotherham. Read more.

Council audit flags ‘unusual’ surge in staff mileage spending post-Covid

An internal audit of Oldham Council has revealed a sharp and unexplained rise in staff mileage expenses since the pandemic, despite the widespread adoption of video conferencing and remote working tools. Mileage expenditure fell to just £8,919.45 in 2020/21 during Covid restrictions, but has since climbed dramatically, reaching £221,108.49 in 2025/26 and peaking at £222,019.35 in 2023/24. More here from LocalGov.

Social care worker falsely claimed sick pay to do shifts for other council

A social care worker has been struck off after falsely claiming sick pay nine times and making sexually explicit comments to female colleagues. David Odigie from Greenock was under investigation by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), which has now released its report. More from News STV.

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The Government has published draft guidance on how to carry out right to work checks, why you need to do them, and which documents you can use. More here. 

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The Fair Work Agency has issued its first Labour Market Enforcement Order and has made its first conviction, in the case of an unlicensed gangmaster who supplied workers to an abattoir. Peter McGuigan, 56, of Shop Lane, Telford, pleaded guilty to one count of acting as an unlicensed gangmaster under S12 of the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004. The case was tried at Coventry Magistrates’ Court on 15 July where McGuigan was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £400 and court costs of £85. Personnel Today has the story.

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The bosses of Britain’s largest listed companies received record pay last year, fuelling the widest earnings gap with workers in eight years. Median pay for FTSE 100 chief executives hit £5.06m in the last financial year, according to data released by the High Pay Centre, an 8.6% increase on £4.66m the previous year and the highest level on record. More from the Guardian.

And it's not just in private companies.........

BBC employees slam senior leadership over presenter pay rises: ‘The mood is pretty low’

BBC employees have revealed that morale behind-the-scenes is “pretty low” following the reveal of its biggest stars’ salaries. A staff member at the corporation has told The Independent that there is “an obvious disconnect” within the organisation as presenters receive six-figure salaries while staff members face redundancies and cuts. Access the full article here. 

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The Employment Law Hub is a comprehensive, jurisdiction-specific resource designed for HR professionals, legal advisors, and business leaders. It centralises essential employment law and HR updates, expertly curated and written by leading HR and legal specialists to provide reliable, practical, and authoritative insights. We have over 700+ in depth articles and 1000+ case law reviews. As a subscriber, you have access to all of this. Check it out the full Hub here and below are some recent articles you may have missed.....

How should an employer deal with anonymous complaints?

With great difficulty you might say. Anonymous complaints should be treated in the same any other complaint in terms of record keeping and investigation of the specifics alleged. Oisin Gourley of Edwards Solicitors has more. 

In this month's Q&A: What employers need to know about sickness during parental leave and managing sickness absence

This month, Madison Bowyer of Arthur Cox NI addresses two common employment law queries, examining whether an employee who becomes ill during parental leave can convert that leave into sick leave, and the circumstances in which a dismissal for sickness absence may be considered fair under Northern Ireland employment law.

Read here:

Q&A: Can dismissal for sickness absence be fair?

Q&A: Can an employee who falls sick during parental leave cancel that leave and instead be treated as on sick leave?

What you may not know about the Fair Employment Act – 50 years on…

Fifty years ago this week, the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1976 received Royal Assent, a pivotal moment in the journey towards fairer and more inclusive workplaces. It laid the foundations for tackling discrimination in employment and promoting equality of opportunity across Northern Ireland. Read our latest article here. 

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Gen Z workers are faking productivity more than any other generation, new study finds

For a generation with a reputation for doing the bare minimum, Gen Z really is putting in serious effort - just not where their employers think. According to a new study from Software Finder, 80% of Gen Z workers admit to faking productivity at work, a significant margin over every other generation. Millennials came in at 68%, Gen X at 58%. More from Vice.

Wellbeing is becoming a workplace risk issue

Workplace wellbeing is no longer a perk; it’s a workforce risk, retention and performance issue. Supporting managers with practical tools, training and early intervention may be one of the most important investments organisations can make. Catch up.

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Not letting workers turn their cameras off while on Zoom or Teams calls can amount to disability discrimination, an employment tribunal has ruled. Some workers can feel “anxious” or “overwhelmed” when their cameras are on, and employers could be liable to pay them damages, according to the judgment. The ruling was given in the case of travel consultant Laura Tait, who successfully sued her company because she was told she must join a meeting with her camera on. The Independent has more on this story.

A care worker whose job offer was revoked after revealing she had breast cancer has won £17,000 in a disability discrimination claim. Lana Harber interviewed for the role of service manager at Intrinsic Care Group in April 2023, and the company confirmed she had been offered the role in writing on 1 May. At this point, she informed the company’s HR manager that she had been diagnosed with cancer and had had surgery in March. She had started hormone treatment in March and was about to start radiotherapy in June. On 9 June 2023, however, she was informed by email that Intrinsic would be “unable to continue with your offer of employment for the service manager position”. Personnel Today has more on this story.

A Pizza Express worker from the US has won a case for race harassment after a colleague told him to ‘Go back to your country, you f**king yank’. Raymond Joseph was working as a waiter at a branch of Pizza Express in Aberdeen. Personnel Today has more on this. 

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NB: Please note these articles relate to GB and do not apply in Northern Ireland, unless otherwise stated.

Protections for whistleblowing and non-disclosure agreements

New legislation has expanded rights for workers in GB around whistleblowing and non-disclosure agreements. This research briefing from the House of Commons is here.

Revealed first meta-analysis of every published ADHD employment tribunal decision in Britain

The first meta-analysis of every published ADHD employment tribunal decision in Britain has found that employer outcomes are almost entirely determined by manager behaviour, not claimant condition - with claimants winning up to 100% of cases in certain management failure scenarios. More from HR Director.

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Employment Law at 11: Theft, Fraud & Dishonesty at Work

Sponsored by HRLocker 

📅7th August 2026 
⏰11am
📍Live online | Free to attend

From retail losses to employee fraud investigations, workplace dishonesty is an issue making headlines across multiple sectors.

Join Legal Island’s Christine Quinn and Seamus McGranaghan of O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors at the next Employment Law at 11 for a session on what employers can (and can't) do when theft or dishonesty allegations arise.

We'll cover:

• The legal threshold for dismissal
• Handling disciplinary and criminal investigations at the same time
• What happens after dismissal

REGISTER HERE

Can't wait til then? Catch up with the last webinar.........

Employment Law at 11 - Real Cases, Real Lessons

Sponsored by HRLocker

If you didn't get to join Seamus McGranaghan, O'Reilly Stewart Solicitors & Christine Quinn, Legal Island in the latest Employment Law at 11 as they discussed NI caselaw - shoplifters, swearing and ChatGPT, don't worry - you can catch up here.

Enjoy your weekend!

Legal Island

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