Blind Man Awarded £18,500 After Unfair Dismissal from Bakery
A tribunal ruled that a blind man was unfairly dismissed from his bakery job, awarding him £18,500 for lost earnings and emotional distress
Wrexham, UK, Blindness, Employment Tribunal, Bakery, Disability Rights
Wrexham: So, there’s this bakery that got into hot water after they fired a blind guy named Ian Stanley. He was let go just six weeks into his job during his probation period. The tribunal found that they should’ve given him more time to get used to the place.
Ian’s been registered blind since 2010 and started working at The Village Bakery in 2023. Before that, he spent 18 years as a waste coordinator at another food company. But when he was let go, it was a real shocker, especially since he hadn’t been given a fair chance to adapt.
The bakery claimed they were worried about health and safety because Ian was having some trouble, like bumping into things and dropping bread. But the tribunal didn’t buy it. They pointed out that Ian had been working there for six weeks without any proper health and safety assessment.
Judge R Brace said Ian needed more time to learn the layout of the factory. Since he couldn’t see like everyone else, he needed to rely on touch and experience to get familiar with his surroundings. The judge felt that the bakery should’ve provided him with a support worker and made some adjustments to help him out.
In the end, the tribunal decided that firing Ian was not justified. They ordered the bakery to pay him £18,567.57 to cover his lost earnings and the emotional toll it took on him. It’s a big win for Ian and a reminder that workplaces need to do better when it comes to supporting employees with disabilities.