Two Liverpool prison workers were unfairly dismissed for whistleblowing, a BBC report has revealed.
John Bromilow and Harry Wildman were both sacked after raising concerns about working practices - including carrying out repair work, painting jobs and other maintenance tasks alone, rather than in pairs - with the prison warden.
But an Employment Tribunal ruled that the workers were acting in good faith.
Judge Jonathan Holbrook, presiding over the case, said it was “extraordinary” that prison contractor Amey had not taken into account the men’s combined 45 years’ service and perfect disciplinary record, according to the BBC.
Amey had taken over Liverpool prison’s maintenance work in 2015 and made several changes which were seen as unsafe by Mr Bromilow and Wildman.
“To dismiss them for having explicitly raised those concerns is one of the more startling examples of an unfair dismissal that I have come across,” said the solicitor representing the pair.
Amey gave no indication that it would appeal the ruling.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our employees, and we have a robust whistleblowing policy in place which provides a number of channels for our employees to escalate concerns about their health and safety,” it said.
“We encourage all employees to follow these protocols so we can address their concerns in the most thorough and efficient way possible.”
A compensation hearing will be held in June.
MFG Solicitors can advise on employment rights and help employees challenge a dismissal. For more information about how we could help you, please contact us.
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