In one of the first COVID-19 dismissal cases, an Employment Tribunal had to decide whether an employee was dismissed fairly for refusing to wear a face mask when attending a client’s premises.
In Queensgate Investments LLP v Millet the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) ruled that applications for interim relief should be heard in public, save where an order is made to restrict publicity.
Employees who are dismissed because of their trade union membership or activities and/or because they have blown the whistle are able to claim that they have been automatically unfairly dismissed.
In a recent case, the EAT considered whether a Tribunal was right to order an employer to re-engage a former employee in whom they had lost trust and confidence and place them into a role for which they lacked the essential skills.
A recent decision shows that where there has been an irretrievable breakdown in relations between colleagues, an employer may be able to dispense with a formal dismissal process and still dismiss fairly.