Firefighter wins second tribunal case

A  FIREFIGHTER  who was forced out of her job has won her case for unfair dismissal — her second claim against the fire service in three years.

Sandy Tilke accused fire bosses of conspiring to get rid of her after she returned to work following a long period of sick leave.

The former military officer, from Rewe, near Exeter, first took action against Devon Fire and Rescue Service when she was working at Exeter Fire Station — claiming sexual harassment in 2006.

In an exclusive interview with the Echo, Mrs Tilke said she was delighted with the outcome of the employment tribunal, which was held earlier this year.

During the hearing, Mrs Tilke said fire bosses waged a campaign of discrimination and victimisation against her.

The 43-year-old went on sick leave with work-related stress in 2004. She claimed  senior managers within the service made her return to work extremely difficult.

She added that emails circulated to staff by top fire bosses — about the outcome of  the first tribunal  — were aimed at stirring up “ill-feeling and resentment”.

The tribunal panel, led by Judge Parker, upheld Mrs Tilke’s complaints and agreed with the former firefighter that on her return to work she had been “set up to fail”. In his judgement, he said: “No consideration appears to have been given to the fact that the claimant was returning to work in a potentially hostile environment engendered by an email issued from the very top of the employer’s organisation.”

Judge Parker was critical of former chief fire officer Paul Young, who announced his retirement from the service in October last year.  Mr Young has since been replaced by new chief Lee Howell.

The judge said: “It seems to us that the chief fire officer either failed to appreciate or simply refused to acknowledge the impact of the emails. We have no hesitation at all in saying that this was an act not merely likely to destroy or seriously damage the relationship of trust and confidence, but calculated to do so.”

Mrs Tilke told the Echo: “After 12 years of loyal and dedicated service to the brigade, I was disappointed that the senior management chose to treat me in such a way that eventually I was left with no option but to resign.

“I am now concentrating on putting this unpleasant episode behind me, regaining my health and moving forward.”

Mrs Tilke also claimed disability and sex discrimination, along with claims for breach of contract and unpaid wages, but these were not upheld by the tribunal panel.

In 2006, Mrs Tilke told a tribunal that male firefighters deliberately left hard-core pornography in a  toilet. She also claimed that colleagues smeared the toilet with human waste as well as graffiti mocking her.

The previous hearing was told how Mrs Tilke believed the harassment was the result of her refusal to participate in a Fire Brigades Union strike in 2002. The case ended with a private settlement.

A spokesman for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: “There is a right of appeal and the service will be reviewing the judgement with our legal representatives.”

A one day remedy hearing — at which damages are expected to be awarded to Mrs Tilke —  is expected to be heard in Exeter later this year.