Stroke victim awarded nearly £400,000 in discrimination case

17/08/2011

 A man who lost his job after suffering a stroke has been awarded nearly £400,000 in compensation.

 A tribunal found that he had been discriminated against on the grounds of disability.

 Jonathan Jones worked as a branch manager in Cardigan for a major national company.

There was an understanding at the company that managers were expected to work beyond their nominal contracted hours, and Mr Jones had signed an agreement opting out of the standard 48-hour agreement.

In fact, he regularly worked more than 60 hours a week and didn’t take his full holiday entitlement.

 He suffered a severe stroke in April 2009. As he recovered, his doctor told him that he had to avoid stress at work.

His employers told him that there was no role for him within the company that did not involve exposure to stress. After taking five months’ sick leave, Mr Jones was dismissed on the grounds of incapacity.

An employment tribunal found that the dismissal was unfair and amounted to disability discrimination because the company had failed to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate him.

Mr Jones was awarded £390,870 in compensation.

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