Blind Man Awarded £18,500 After Being Fired by Village Bakery
A tribunal ruled that the Village Bakery failed to accommodate a blind employee
Wrexham, North Wales, Ian Stanley, Village Bakery, Disability Rights
Wrexham: So, there’s this story about a blind guy named Ian Stanley who just won a hefty payout after being let go from the Village Bakery. He got £18,500 because the tribunal found they didn’t give him a fair shot during his probation.
Ian, who’s been blind since 2010, started working there in 2023. Before that, he spent 18 years in a different job. But just six weeks into his new gig, they decided to let him go. The tribunal said the bakery should have helped him get used to the place better.
The bakery claimed they fired him for health and safety reasons. They said he was having accidents, like crashing bread racks and dropping loaves. But the tribunal wasn’t buying it. They pointed out that Ian worked there for six weeks without any proper health and safety checks.
The judge, R Brace, mentioned that Ian needed more time to learn the layout of the factory. Since he couldn’t see like everyone else, he needed extra help to get familiar with things. The tribunal said they should have given him a support worker and more time to adjust.
In the end, the judge ruled that the bakery didn’t make reasonable adjustments for Ian’s disability. They should have done more to help him stay employed. So, the dismissal was deemed unfair and discriminatory.
On January 14, the tribunal ordered the bakery to pay Ian a total of £18,567.57 for lost wages and emotional distress. It’s a big win for him and a reminder that companies need to do better when it comes to supporting employees with disabilities.
Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Find out what’s happening near you