Pile meaning

On 22 January 2024, Employment Judge Jennifer Young concluded that Open University academics instigated a 'call to discriminate' against Professor Jo Phoenix by issuing an open letter opposing her gender-critical research network. That discriminatory letter in turn also triggered a 'pile-on' directed at Phoenix, Judge Young expressly observed. Phoenix v The Open University (ET/3322700/2021 & 3323841/2021) The judge found the university failed to secure an appropriate working environment for Phoenix, leaving her to weather the backlash within the institution. This failure amounted to a breach of the implied term of trust and confidence in her contract and ultimately prompted her resignation. According to Judge Young, the Open University did not shield Phoenix from the 'negative campaign' that followed thereafter the launch of her research network because it 'did not want to be seen to give any kind of support to academics with gender critical beliefs'. Phoenix had been employed as a professor from 2016 until she stepped down in December 2021, following what she described as an 'exceptionally...

Employment lawyers warn that a raft of rights introduced by the new legislation will pile pressure on an already congested tribunal system, risking barriers to justice for workers seeking to uphold those rights, especially people unable to pay for representation. Caspar Glyn KC, of Cloisters and chair of the Employment Lawyers Association, noted that tribunals are struggling with their current workload and that volumes are poised to rise. In his view, the tribunals are not dealing with what they currently have, and further claims are imminent. The ERB, which brings in measures including a so‑called day one right to claim unfair dismissal, is forecast to lift the number of cases reaching employment tribunals by as much as 15%, according to impact assessments released in October 2024. Commentators fear this uplift will compound the existing backlog of 66,800 outstanding cases and make it harder for employees to exercise the new protections granted by the law. Glyn cautioned that when the Bill takes effect — delivering day one rights and zero...