Raking in the dough! Blind baker in line for six-figure pay-out after successfully suing bakery which sacked him after dropping bread and crashing into machinery
- Ian Stanley, 38, was dismissed from Village Bakery on health and safety grounds
A blind baker was unfairly sacked after being accused of dropping bread and crashing into machinery and could win dough of more than £100,000 in damages, an employment tribunal ruled.
Ian Stanley, 38, who is registered blind, was dismissed six weeks into his three-month probationary period in his job at a family bakery.
He joined the 900 staff at the four bakery sites after the company launched a 'We Knead You' recruitment drive to supply shops around Britain.
Bosses at the Village Bakery claimed he was axed on health and safety grounds - saying production was hit and a risk of damage because of his mistakes, including dropping bread and crashing loaves into machinery.
An employment tribunal upheld his claim of 'unfavourable treatment' in being dismissed from the £28,000-a-year night shift role because of his disability.
It ruled not enough was done by bosses at the bakery in Coedpoeth, Wrexham, to help him adjust to his role.
A registered blind baker was unfairly dismissed from Village Bakery in Coedpoeth, Wrexham, where he was axed on health and safety grounds
He had previously worked as a packer in another food factory for 18 years when he was taken on by The Village Bakery last July in their search for more staff.
Mr Stanley was diagnosed with Bardet Biedl syndrome, an inherited genetic condition, in 2010.
He has applied for a total of £112,000 - including £33,404 for the loss of past and future wages, £35,000 for injury to feelings, a 25 per cent uplift for the company's alleged failure to follow the arbitration practice and a further sum for aggravated damages.
Assisted by his wife in the three-day hearing, he said he had impaired 6/60 vision- meaning he can see at 6 metres what someone with standard vision could see from 60 metres away.
The tribunal held in Mold, North Wales, heard that his bosses knew of his disability but other workers were not told he was registered blind.
Shift manager Kevin Jones was warned Mr Stanley was 'making lots of mistakes, crashing racks of bread into machinery, dropping loaves and not cleaning trays properly'.
He was given various jobs including measuring the temperature of the bread - but had difficulty reading the thermometer.
Tom Breeze, manager of the bakery which employs 170 workers at the Coedpoeth site, said the company could not afford to employ someone to help Mr Stanley.
But this was rejected by the tribunal.
The panel also rejected the argument that health and safety issues were a consideration because Mr Stanley had been allowed to continue working for six weeks without a health and safety assessment.
Tribunal judge Rhian Brace said: 'He should have been given more time to learn the layout of the factory and other procedures.
'We concluded that giving the claimant more time to familiarise himself with the processes, the people and the factory environment would have been a practicable step that would have been effective,' said the judge.
Another hearing will be held to decide on the financial settlement for unfair dismissal.
