Council worker to claim record compensation for redundancy

Posted 10/09/2009

A former consultation officer at a London council is to receive a record-breaking compensation payout after he was discriminated against and unfairly selected for redundancy.

John Wooster, 52, is set to receive a settlement of £1 million after an employment tribunal ruled that he was unfairly dismissed by Tower Hamlets Council because of his age.

Mr Wooster had alleged that the body made him redundant seven months before his 50th birthday in order to avoid having to pay him a pension until after he turns 65.

However, the plaintiff was able to successfully argue at a 2008 employment tribunal that this represented a violation of employment law and that he was therefore entitled to compensation.

The council subsequently attempted to appeal, but this has now failed, leaving Mr Wooster in line to receive a payout which would represent the largest ever awarded in the UK for age discrimination.

This comes after government statistics published last month revealed that the number of workers being made redundant during the recession has driven unemployment statistics to a 14-year high.