An IT Manager aged 57 who was unfairly dismissed from his job with an insurance company to make way for a peer employee has been awarded nearly 60,000 compensation by an Employment Tribunal.
In a unanimous decision, the Tribunal agreed that John McDonald was unfairly dismissed. He was then put on ígarden leaveí for the remainder of his employment contract.
Mr McDonald from Altrincham, Cheshire had been employed by Lancashire based Auto Indemnity (UK) Ltd since 2003 and was awarded the statutory maximum payment after the tribunal examined over 850 documents before reaching its decision.
His solicitor, Neil Gouldson from Rowe Cohen, who specialises in high value claims said: This was a complex but clear cut case of someone with considerable experience and seniority being brushed aside to make way for another employee with no objective review of the employeeís performance being undertaken. Under the Employment Rights Act, companies simply canít get away with dishing out this kind of roughshod treatment these days.
Mr McDonald made strenuous efforts to obtain alternative employment when he was on leave but has found it extremely difficult not least because of his age and the manner of his departure. He has rightly been awarded the maximum permitted.
Mr McDonald added: Iím delighted with the decision. It gives me a bit of breathing space to consider my next move.
Maximum payout for IT manager unfairly dismissed
An IT Manager aged 57 who was unfairly dismissed from his job with an insurance company to make way for a peer employee has been awarded nearly 60,000 compensation by an Employment Tribunal
