Sacking was over sight
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• A Manchester industrial tribunal has ruled that Ecclesbased Storey Bros (Haulage) acted reasonably in dismissing a driver wha lost his HGV licence due to eyesight problems, even though the licence was returned the following month.
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For the comp a n y, John Backhouse said that driver Ferdinand Streithofe, who had worked for the company for the past 12 years, had been involved in a series of accidents culminating in one on the M5 last May when he ran into the back of a stationary vehicle on the hard shoulder. The company arranged for Streithofe to have a medical examination and it was discovered that he had an eyesight problem.
Streithofe reported the matter to the Licensing Authority who revoked his HGV licence while he was still receiving treatment.
The company indicated that it would continue to employ Streithofe for three months, but if he had not received his HGV licence back at the end of that time it would have no alternative but to terminate his employment. The licence was not returned by the beginning of the following month and Streithofe was dismissed.
Although it was maintained that the company had acted prematurely, the tribunal ruled that Storey Bros had good grounds for dismissing Streithofe as he was not capable of undertaking the work he was employed to do.