Driver wins 119K for dismissal
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A lorry driver from Cardiff has been awarded over £19,000 by an Employment Tribunal after it ruled his Irish employer's behaviour exacerbated his depression by unfairly dismissing him.
Warren Prosser, formerly of New Zealand, but now living at Howard Court, Atlantic Wharf, had only been working
for Nolan Transport (Oaklands) Ltd of County Wexford for six weeks in
November last year when the vehicle he had been assigned was collected by another driver and taken on a return load to Ireland.
Prosser told the hearing in Cardiff that he was assured the vehicle would be returned to him, but it never arrived. The cab contained nearly £2,000 worth of his personal belongings including clothes, maps and a camera he used as an amateur photographer.
"I left messages for them and sent faxes, but I didn't receive a reply," he said, and I have never been told I was no longer employed by them."
When he did make contact with the company, said Prosser, he was told there was never anyone in authority to speak to. and he was eventually advised that his belongings were "at Pembroke", although the specific location was never revealed.
The Tribunal heard how Prosser attempted to claim state benefits following his perceived dismissal, but the
company refused to confirm his employment with them, leading to financial hardship, anxiety and the "exacerbation of an underlying mild depression". The company eventually issued a P45, and he claimed they only paid him when he submitted a claim to the Tribunal.
The company failed to appear before the Tribunal.
The Tribunal was satisfied that the dismissal was unfair. They awarded Prosser 119,550 compensation.