£79,878 for ‘unfairly sacked’ New Forest town clerk

A SACKED town clerk has been awarded nearly £80,000 of taxpayers’ money after a tribunal found his employers had unfairly dismissed him.

Andrew Rimmer was fired by Lymington and Pennington Town Council last October after several periods of sick leave following a heart attack.

But a tribunal ruled that the dismissal was unfair and ordered the authority to stump up for his past and future lost earnings.

Earlier, the tribunal was told how Mr Rimmer had been suffering from depression and anxiety that was so severe he could not even face opening letters from his bosses to discuss his absenteeism.

The tribunal had heard that his medication had left Mr Rimmer with a stammer and he could not face speaking on the phone.

He claimed that no-one attempted to contact him during his periods of illness and eventually he was dismissed following the formation of a sub-committee at the council.

Council chiefs claimed that services had started to suffer in his absence, including employees being overpaid and the council’s annual budget not being prepared.

In total the council was told it would have to pay £79,878, which included £14,978 in pay he had lost out on since being dismissed and £55,636 to compensate for future loss of earnings.

Social worker Bellwood ‘bullied’ by line manager

A UK social worker who ran a secure unit in Jersey has alleged he was “bullied and harassed” by his line manager.

Simon Bellwood, who is claiming unfair dismissal from his job at the Greenfields secure unit on the island, told an employment tribunal yesterday how his relationship with his line manager Joe Kennedy “deteriorated”.

Giving evidence yesterday, Bellwood said he found Kennedy “overpowering” and claimed he had not been given the supervision he requested.

The social worker, who was previously manager of a local authority secure children’s home in Essex, told the tribunal he “felt like an elastic band being pulled in every direction”.

Bellwood began work as centre manager of Greenfields in August 2006, after which he criticised a system of putting children in solitary confinement, known as grand prix.

He also put in a formal complaint against Kennedy, but neither complaint was upheld. Bellwood was dismissed in May last year on the grounds of incapability.

The social worker told the tribunal that he was working “in excess of a 70-hour week” and felt “absolutely exhausted” in the job at Greenfields.

“I was in a position of feeling constantly criticised for anything and everything – on the one hand I was being told to develop policies, and on the other to be on the shop floor with young people,” he said.

Bellwood changed the grand prix system but said Kennedy “failed to understand” his behaviour management policy.

Bellwood said the system of solitary confinement put in place at Greenfields by Kennedy was “unlawful” and conflicted with his training.

He told the tribunal on Monday that he had introduced another policy that was about “recognising and rewarding positive behaviour”.

Bellwood yesterday disputed Kennedy’s criticism of him as “argumentative and disrespectful.”

He admitted he had “challenged” Kennedy but said he had been “at a loss how to remedy the situation”.

Bellwood alleged Kennedy had compiled a list of evidence against him to “to use to my detriment and to his advantage”.

Over the next fortnight, the Jersey employment tribunal will hear evidence from witnesses and Bellwood’s former employer the States of Jersey.

Mike Pollard, chief executive of health and social services for the States of Jersey, told the tribunal he wanted to “make sure the truth is known”.

The tribunal continues.

Hairdresser sued for veiled woman

A hairdresser is being sued by a Muslim teenager who claims she was knocked back for a job because she wore a headscarf.

Bushra Noah, 19, is suing London-based hairdresser Sarah Desrosiers for religious discrimination in a case estimated to be worth at least £15,000.

Desrosiers has rejected the allegation and says she turned down Noah’s job application because it was an “absolutely basic” requirement that customers could see their stylist’s hair.

“The essence of my line of work is the display of hair,”claims Desrosiers.

“To me, it’s absolutely basic that people should be able to see the stylist’s hair.

“It has nothing to do with religion.

“It is just unfortunate that for her covering her hair symbolises religion.”

Desrosiers said she had never discriminated against Muslims and felt she had been victimised.

“My accountant is Muslim,” she said.

“This girl is suing me for more than I earn in a year.

“I am a small business and have only had my salon a year and a half.”

Noah is an experienced stylist but has been rejected for 25 jobs.

She was invited to work in Desrosiers salon in London for a trial day in March after sending in her resume.

But Noah alleges that when she turned up wearing a headscarf she was discriminated against and treated rudely.

“When I got there, she looked at me in shock,” Noah told the newspaper.

“She started making excuses about wanting someone who lived locally but I knew it was the headscarf.

“She asked if I wore it all the time and I said: ‘Yes’. She asked if I would take it off for work and I said: ‘No’.”

The case is due to be heard by an employment tribunal in January.