Dinner lady wins unfair dismissal claim

An unfair dismissal case brought by a woman sacked from her job as a dinner lady has been resolved, with the judge ruling the victim should not have been fired.

Carol Hill was let go after she gave parents details of a bullying incident at the school, saying she assumed they were already in possession of all the facts.

The employment tribunal hearing the case is considering whether compensation for wrongful dismissal will be given, after concluding those responsible for the decision did not carry out a fair investigation and lacked good grounds to make the 61-year-old redundant.

Deborah Crabb, headmistress at the primary, informed the parents their daughter had been involved in a "skipping rope incident", without telling them the seven-year-old had been tied up and hit by four boys using the toy.

Ms Hill's unfair dismissal claim will take account of the fact she worked at the school for a number of years and may offer compensation for loss of wages or defamation.

Published by Phil Hammond