Pregnant workers and new mothers
In this well-publicised case, easyJet's refusal to limit the shift lengths of two cabin crew who were breastfeeding led to awards for indirect sex discrimination totalling almost £35,000.
In New Southern Railway Ltd v Quinn [2006] IRLR 606 EAT, the Employment Appeal Tribunal holds that an employer's duty to take steps to "avoid" risk to a pregnant woman means that the risk should be reduced to its lowest acceptable level - not that it must be removed completely.
Bess Sturman and Richard Port of Addleshaw Goddard outline the latest legal rulings and explain what you need to know to avoid tribunals.
Pregnant cabin crew who volunteered for ground duties to which they were deployed were not offered "suitable alternative work" within the meaning of s.67(2) of the Employment Rights Act 1996, because the terms and conditions applicable to that alternative work were substantially less favourable than the corresponding terms and conditions for their normal work, holds the EAT in British Airways (European Operations at Gatwick) Ltd v Moore and another.
Employment law cases: HR and legal information and guidance relating to pregnant workers and new mothers.