Unfair dismissal compensation given to firefighter

Published on 23 Jul 2010 under category: legal

A firefighter has been awarded £80,000 in compensation after an employment tribunal ruled he was dismissed unfairly after he complained about the chairs provided at his place of work.
Christopher Bennett of Stockport suffers from arthritis in his back and requested he be allowed to bring a mattress to work to rest on instead of using the fire station's reclining chairs.
When the request was denied, Mr Bennett emailed colleagues to ask if they had experienced problems with the chair, an action Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service deemed gross misconduct.
However, the tribunal found the service had wrongfully dismissed Mr Bennett and ordered that he be compensated as his human right to freedom of expression had been breached.
In 2006, Greater Manchester fire stations switched to using the Calcot chairs instead of beds for workers on the night shift.
According to the BBC, Mr Bennett's email said that being "forced" to seek alternatives to the chairs is "by its very nature is robbing us of our professional pride, not to mention human dignity".
A statement from Greater Manchester Fire Service said that "by soliciting support against the service Mr Bennett irreparably broke an employer's trust, hence our decision not to reinstate him".

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