Alan Jones Wins £329,000 From Pilkington After Disability Bias Ruling Over 2019 Surveillance
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 14
Alan Jones Wins £329,000 From Pilkington After Disability Bias Ruling Over 2019 Surveillance
2 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 14
£329,000 in damages and lost earnings will be paid to Alan Jones, 59, after Pilkington UK Ltd wrongly sacked him and discriminated against him over his disability.
2019 surveillance footage showed Jones at a friend's farm briefly handling a bag of potatoes and a hose while on sick leave, but the tribunal heard Pilkington sought no medical evidence before treating it as proof he was working.
Jones had left his team leader role after developing radiation-induced neuropathy linked to cancer treatment, an incurable condition that doctors said meant he could not do manual work again.
A 2021 employment tribunal found in Jones's favor, and Pilkington's 2023 appeal was dismissed, ending a six-year legal fight backed by Unite and Thompsons Solicitors.
Pilkington said it had reviewed the case to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated, while Jones said the payout was about justice and preventing similar treatment of other disabled workers.
This discrimination case cost £329k. With new laws coming, are UK employers ready for even higher penalties?
A bag of potatoes cost a company £329,000. How did this reveal its illegal surveillance and disability discrimination?