A London bus company has made a private settlement with a former service controller after he made legal claims for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination.
Mal Almeida, who had been employed for 16 years, made his claims against Metroline Travel of Cricklewood at Watford Employment Tribunal Centre.
The Tribunal was told that Mr Almeida suffered from Parkinson’s disease and that he was dismissed after being on sick leave on numerous occasions. On one occasion he was off work for 197 days.
A medical report said that he had been unfit for work and the employer was told that there was no prospect of him returning to work.
Mr Almeida had attended the firm’s occupation health department on numerous occasions and the firm said it had carried out its sick policy correctly.
As a result, he had been on full pay for the first six months of sick leave and on half pay for the following six months. He had exhausted the full pay entitlement and had only five weeks left to be paid under the half-pay policy when making his claims.
Mr Almeida, who had been represented by his wife at the hearing, believed he should not have been dismissed and that he should have been put on unpaid leave for 12 months.
Metroline Travel told the Tribunal that it had acted fairly and had previously appealed to have the legal claims struck out because it believed he had no prospects of winning his case if it went ahead.
The Judge decided, at another hearing, that the case should proceed.
Tribunal Judge Bartlett agreed at the latest hearing that other employers may have acted in a different manner.
Now the firm has reached an agreement over a private settlement with Mr Almeida.
