Pub manager compensated for depression caused by dismissal

A pub manager has been awarded compensation for the depression she suffered after being unfairly dismissed.

The case involved a husband and wife who were employed together to manage a large pub. They lived on the premises with their four children.

They worked there for just over a year when the employer became dissatisfied with their performance and dismissed them. A tribunal later ruled that the dismissals were unfair. The husband was awarded compensation of a year’s salary plus rent and removal expenses making a total of £17,000.

The wife’s claim was a little more complicated because she was unable to work from the date of her dismissal due to depression. The employer claimed her inability to work was due to other medical conditions unrelated to her dismissal.

The tribunal rejected the employer’s argument and found that the wife’s condition was due in “no small part” to her losing her job. She was awarded a year’s salary plus compensation for her depression making a total of £27,000.

Anyone who is unfairly dismissed or discriminated against at work is entitled to claim compensation,

Please contact Robert Bedford or John Carter if you would like more information about the issues raised in this article or any aspect of employment law.