Manager loses dismissal case
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• The service manager of a Doncaster Mercedes-Benz dealer who was sacked after he did not tell a customer that his truck was damaged while on the dealer's premises has lost his claim for unfair dismissal.
Charles Sidney Holdings' service manager Christopher Good told a Sheffield Industrial Tribunal that he checked the vehicle before letting it go out. The driver brought it in later to have the brakes checked.
During the examination, the truck's offside front wheel had gone over the guide rails of the pit, and the vehicle had come to rest on its axle with the wheel in the air. The offside front wing, wheel cap and anti-roll bar needed replacing as a result.
Good agreed that he had not told either the driver or the owner of the vehicle about the incident. He claimed that he intended discussing it with managing director John Ross, to see how he wanted the matter handled.
Ross said that he had concluded that Good had wanted to cover up the accident. Apart from the damage, the fact that the incident had taken place in front of the workforce was unacceptable.
The Tribunal concluded that Good had a highly responsible job and he was well aware of how seriously the company viewed matters affecting workmanship and customer relations.