The owners of an accident repair centre in Wolverhampton have been ordered to pay more than £30,000 in damages to a former employee who was sacked following a row over a blocked lavatory.
An employment tribunal heard how Jak Priest had complained to his managers about a problem with the outdoor lavatory before going on leave for three weeks.
When he returned and found that the toilet hadn’t been repaired, he called the Health and Safety Executive and Wolverhampton City Council.
Priest said that Wayne and Claire Edge, his bosses at Car Perfection Car Care, were so angered by his actions, they shouted at him and then fired him.
The garage had one unisex lavatory with a small hand basin, located in an outdoor block. Priest told the tribunal that there was no hot water and the lavatory had several intermittent issues. According to a report, Wayne Edge said a plumber was scheduled to repair a burst pipe.
Judge Katherine Hindmarch rejected a claim that Priest had resigned and said that “the provision of working toilet and washing facilities is clearly a matter of health and safety in the workplace“ and she had “no doubt“ that the bosses were “surprised and upset when the council visited”.
The judge added that Priest was “a young man who had worked for them since leaving school and this must have been very distressing for him”.
The tribunal awarded Priest £32,700 for unfair dismissal.
Source: The Times
KEN ASHTON
Over 40 yrs ago when I had a shop with both male and female staff we were told that must have separate facilities so we used the flat upstairs for the ladies . So there isnt really an excuse for the garage owner . An expensive lesson