A man from the Rhondda who was unfairly dismissed from his job has received compensation with help from Unite Legal Services.
53-year-old Chris Morling had worked for his employer for 35 years; he was a manager at the time of his dismissal.
In May 2015, Chris discovered that there were issues in the office that had been going on since 2012. He immediately told his senior management, however, he was then accused of withholding the information before reporting it. Chris was dismissed as a result of the allegations.
Following his dismissal, he worked part-time as a painter and decorator and relied on financial help from his family to cover his living costs.
Chris contacted Unite Legal Services for employment law advice.
He said: “I’ve been a long-standing and loyal employee of the firm since I was a teenager, with no record of misconduct, so being accused of something I didn’t do was a kick in the teeth. When I found out I’d been fired I couldn’t believe it.
“What’s more, management had no concrete evidence against me yet I was still pushed out of my job. I was even told in court that I had followed all of the procedures correctly. I had to sell my car at a loss and I still struggle financially – if it wasn’t for the help of my family I don’t know how I would have coped.
“I didn’t think I stood much of a chance against my employer, but thankfully I had the backing of my trade union to represent me.”
Brian Scott, from Unite the Union, said: “This is a significant victory for our member who was wronged even though he had given more than three decades of his life to the employer. Instead of properly investigating the allegations, his employer made unfounded assumptions that Chris was guilty and dismissed him without considering the affect it would have on his livelihood.
“As a Unite member, Chris’ legal rights were protected and ensured his employer was held to account for mistreating him. His employer must learn from the tribunal verdict in Chris’ claim and must not do this again.”
