Google faces possible class action on gender discrimination … Movement on government’s “one stop” dispute shop … UK business owner hits back over TripAdvisor review

Google is set to be the subject of a high profile lawsuit after three former employees launched court action accusing the tech giant of discriminating against women when it comes to pay.

Wired reports the three employees are also seeking to make the case, which was launched in San Francisco this week, a class action to represent all female employees of the company since 2013.

The suit reportedly alleges that Google has breached California’s Equal Pay Act through moves that see women paid less for the same roles as men, and not presented with the same options for career advancement as their male counterparts.

Government moves on one-stop financial disputes shop

Minister for Revenue and Financial Services Kelly O’Dwyer has confirmed changes will be made to the government’s proposal to create a consolidated regulator for dealing with financial disputes, which will bring together the Financial Services Ombudsman (FOS), the Credit and Investments Ombudsman (CIO) and the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal.

The government has confirmed there will be a 12-month transition period before the FOS and CIO services are phased out entirely.

The new body, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, will be able to hear complaints about services to a monetary limit of $1 million, and deliver up to $500,000 in compensation. Small businesses will be able to raise disputes about credit facilities worth up to $5 million, and can be awarded up to $1 million in compensation for these kinds of disputes.

Business owner rebuts one star Tripadvisor review over a bald jibe

A UK business owner has gone head-to-head with a customer after they left a one-star review of Manchester restaurant Man Bites Frog, which claimed a waitress brought out a megaphone and mocked a patron for being bald when he went to leave the premises.

The reviewer said he and two friends had entered the establishment but then left after it appeared there was a staff party happening and they were not wanted. At this point, he said a waitress used a megaphone to “shout at us to get out and also mock one of us for being bald,” reports The Sun. 

However, restaurant owner Dave Cleall-Hill hit back at the review, assuring the patron everything was in good fun and his team was celebrating the hard work of a departing chef that night.

He invited the reviewer to “come and have a chat with me personally”, about what happened, saying he suspected the waitress was being “flirty” when she yelled at them to leave.

“I will welcome you with open arms if you want to come in and have a pint with me,” he offered.

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