A disabled former employee of Pilkington UK Limited has been awarded more than £329,000 in compensation after an employment tribunal ruled he was unfairly dismissed and discriminated against because of his disability. Alan Jones, 59, from St Helens, worked for the company for over 30 years before being sacked in October 2019.
The tribunal heard that Pilkington had placed Mr Jones under surveillance after reports he had been seen wearing work boots and carrying out physical activity while on sick leave. Footage showed him accompanying a friend on a farming errand, briefly lifting a small bag of potatoes and passing a hosepipe. The company treated this as evidence he was working elsewhere and acting inconsistently with his sick leave.
Mr Jones suffered from radiation-induced neuropathy following cancer treatment in the 1980s, a chronic condition causing significant muscle loss in his dominant shoulder, alongside depression. It was accepted by all parties that he was disabled. The tribunal found that Pilkington failed to obtain updated medical evidence before deciding to dismiss him, acting on a mistaken belief directly linked to his disability.
With support from his union, Unite the Union, and through Thompsons Solicitors, Mr Jones brought a claim of disability discrimination. In August 2021, the employment tribunal ruled in his favour, concluding that dismissing him amounted to discrimination arising from disability. Pilkington’s appeal was dismissed in April 2023, and compensation of over £329,000 has now been ordered.
Speaking after the case, Mr Jones described the experience as “extremely stressful”, saying: “I had given decades to the company. When I became unfit for work, I expected support – not suspicion, and certainly not to be dismissed for something that wasn’t true.” He added he felt “violated and vilified” by being placed under surveillance, and urged others to seek union membership for fairness.
