An Employment and Discrimination Tribunal in Guernsey has ruled that Unite member, Debbie Langmead, was unfairly dismissed by her employer, The Scout Association.
Mrs Langmead was called to a meeting in October 2015 by her employer and was offered redundancy terms to terminate her employment, but was not provided fair warning of this meeting or the opportunity to be represented by her trade union, Unite. Mrs Langmead declined the offer and argued that her role was not redundant, the employer subsequently claimed that Mrs Langmead had resigned her employment, whereas she claimed that she had been dismissed unfairly by the employer.
Mrs Langmead was represented at the Employment and Discrimination Tribunal by Unite regional officer for Guernsey, Bob Lanning. The Tribunal found that the employer had not followed its own procedures as detailed in the employee handbook, as well as breaching the Commerce and Employment Code of Practice on Handling Redundancies. The Employment and Discrimination Tribunal found that Mrs Langmead had been unfairly dismissed and in making this finding, awarded the maximum damages equivalent to six months wages.
Bob Lanning, Unite regional officer, said: “This outcome demonstrates the benefits of Unite membership and Unite’s Legal Services in exposing poor employment practices and achieving good outcomes for our members. It is pleasing that the Tribunal has identified key criticisms in the conduct of the employer in finding that Mrs Langmead was unfairly dismissed and making a maximum award in compensation.”
