Unfair Dismissal Win: Member Reinstated!

Affinity has won an important case for a member who was unjustifiably dismissed after he defended himself during an unpleasant physical attack in his shop. The member, a long standing and highly committed member of staff, was reinstated on appeal after we presented his case to his employer. It became obvious that his dismissal was totally unfair and that his employer either had to reinstate him or justify its actions to a Judge at an Employment Tribunal, where it would have failed.

The member, who’s delighted to have his job back, said:

“The advice and support I received from Affinity was second to none. I cannot thank the team enough for all the time and effort spent putting my case together; which ultimately helped me win my job back.”

Violence, Threatening Behaviour, Verbal and Physical Abuse

The member’s case is hardly unique and betting shop staff up and down the country have to face abuse from customers on a daily basis. More can and should be being done to protect them. In the case mentioned above, the member’s employer should have been doing all it could to support and protect him, not taking disciplinary action and sacking him on trumped up charges!

We’ll be sending out a survey shortly on violence, threatening behaviour, verbal and physical abuse in the workplace so you can share your views with us. The survey will be totally anonymous and we will not do or say anything from which you can be identified.

If you need any help or advice in the meantime, our 24 hour Advice Team can be contacted on 01234 716005 (choose Option 1).

Finally, if you have colleagues or friends who aren’t in the union, please do share this newsletter with them. The more voices we have, the more we can do to help improve the working lives of betting shop staff.