A tribunal has ordered a Sussex-based charity supporting people who are visually impaired to pay close to £25,000, after a tribunal ruled it had unfairly dismissed an employee.
Care home manager Tracy Britcher’s claim for unfair dismissal was found to be well-founded, as was her claim for wrongful dismissal.
Hastings & Rother Voluntary Association for the Blind was ordered to pay Britcher £3,264 as a basic award and £21,433.76 as a compensatory award. This was uplifted from £18,638.05.
The employment tribunal states the respondent unreasonably failed to comply with the ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures and therefore the compensatory award included an uplift of 15%.
Data for the financial year ending 31 March 2022 on the Charity Commission’s website puts the charity’s total income at £688,232 and total expenditure £800,811.
A spokesperson for Martin Searle Solicitors, who represented Britcher, said: “The Employment Judge agreed that both of her claims were ‘well-founded’ and Ms Britcher was fully compensated for her financial losses that stemmed from her unfair dismissal.
“We are particularly pleased that the Judge awarded a 15% uplift of her compensatory award in recognition that her former employer failed to have regard to basic standards of fairness set out in the ACAS code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures.
“Whatever their size and sophistication, employers need to be aware of this framework which operates as a guide as well as a sanction.”
Civil Society News has asked the charity to comment.
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