Success for hairdresser dismissed due to her pregnancy
On 20th November 2017 we received the reserved judgment of the Manchester employment tribunal confirming our client had been successful in her claim for pregnancy related discrimination, among other things.
Louise Doyle had been employed by Associated Training Solutions Limited as a trainer/assessor for 1 year 11 months when she was dismissed due to allegations of gross misconduct. The tribunal held that the allegations were just a smokescreen to dismiss her as a result of her pregnancy. The tribunal stated;
“Firstly, the tribunal found Andrew Fairbrother an unreliable historian. From para. 1 of his witness statement, it became apparent that his written account in his witness statement was not the whole truth. For example, he sought to underplay his involvement in the respondent company, suggesting that he did not start ‘formally working’ for it until March 2016. This is clearly not accurate, as it was he who interviewed the claimant in October 2014, when he was described as Business Operations Director.”
Louise was also successful in her claims for notice pay and pregnancy related discrimination as a result of comments made to her by Andrew Fairbrother and not being asked to undertake work based assessments due to her pregnancy.
A full copy of the judgment can be found here: Employment Tribunals Case 2405460/2016.
The tribunal will now list a separate hearing to determine Louise’s remedy, but she is likely to recover lost earnings and injury to feelings to compensate her for the hurt she has suffered as a result of the discrimination.
Some testimonials
Louise’s thoughts on the judgment were:
“I am completely over the moon about the outcome, I feel like I have got justice and a weight has been lifted. I couldn’t have done it without the help of JFH Law & Richard (Ryan Barrister at Plowden Park Lane) so Thank you.
I came to JFH Law through my insurance company, Legal Insurance Management, and I am grateful that I had this cover in place as I would not have been able to afford the legal fees.
The service provided by JFH Law and Richard Ryan has been brilliant from the start; they have been very helpful throughout.”
Louise’s partner, Lee, was a witness to her claim, in response to the news he confirmed:
“That’s fantastic news – it’s great to see Louise as happy as she is, it’s like the weight of the world has been lifted from her shoulders!
Please pass on our sincere thanks to Richard, he is first class in every respect and the tribunal would have been a great deal more difficult without him there!
And of course thanks to you for everything you’ve done so far [sic], it is greatly appreciated!”
In the article Maternity Leave; get it right or pay the price, you can find useful information about the rights of a pregnant woman at work, maternity leave and flexible working.
If you have faced discrimination in the workplace then contact Laura Pearce on 0207 388 1658 or at info@jfhlaw.co.uk to discuss your options.
Laura Pearce, Senior Solicitor
