Council defends employment tribunal claim brought by whistleblower

Cheshire East Council has successfully defended an employment tribunal claim brought by a former member of staff who alleged she had been dismissed due to her making a whistleblowing disclosure.

The local authority said that Sue Wallace had left council employment following the expiry of her fixed-term contract on 31 December 2016.

Ms Wallace alleged that she was treated unfairly and dismissed due to her making a whistleblowing disclosure relating to payment of the national minimum wage for staff working sleep-in shifts. 

Kath O’Dwyer, acting chief executive of Cheshire East, said: “The tribunal fully rejected these claims, following a thorough, 10-day hearing, which concluded on 15 June 2018. The unanimous judgement of the tribunal was that all claims failed and were dismissed. 

“The council regrets that this matter could not be resolved prior to legal proceedings but, after full consideration of the circumstances, we felt that there was no alternative but to defend the allegations made.”

O’Dwyer added: “Staff are our most important asset and are essential for the effective delivery of council services. The council is committed to ensuring that all of our staff feel safe and able to raise any concerns they may have about work matters. 

“We have a range of processes and procedures to support staff where they have concerns, including the council’s whistleblowing policy, which was reviewed earlier this year in partnership with the whistleblowing charity Public Concern at Work.”