Louise leads and manages the employment department, which is currently the largest employment law practice in Northern Ireland.
With over 18 years’ experience in employment law, Louise’s knowledge and attention to detail provide an innovative approach that her clients appreciate in relation to complex areas of Public Interest Disclosure, Equal Pay, Discrimination and Unfair Dismissal. She works closely with employers across the public, private and third sectors and regularly advises on restructuring issues including individual and collective redundancies and the application and implication of TUPE. Louise has a detailed understanding of her clients’ needs and is known for her constructive and pragmatic advice on internal employment issues and providing advice and representation in defence of all categories of employment claims before the tribunals and civil courts.
Beliefs may be protected, but provocative expression at work, especially via employer platforms, can justify disciplinary action if proportionate.
The Council introduced a new policy which invited staff to add pronouns to their email signature. The policy did not prescribe a list of acceptable pronouns, and individuals could also choose not to add any pronouns. The Claimant objected to the Council's policy on the basis that it promoted a political ideology of self-identification with which he disagreed. In protest against the policy, the Claimant added the words "XYchromosomeGuy/AdultHumanMale" to his email signature. Having refused numerous management instructions to remove the words, he was eventually dismissed.
The Claimant brought a claim of direct discrimination, unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal
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