An
employment tribunal in London has ruled that a woman depressive who worked as a
marketing manager was sacked due to her disability.
Colleen
Melanophy, who was employed at Rapport Group, suffered from manic depression
and became temporarily unwell while at work.
The
tribunal found that the Rapport Group had failed to understand the nature of
Melanophy’s condition by sacking her while she was in hospital receiving
treatment.
Bert
Massie, chair of the Disability Right Commission, which backed Melanophy’s case,
said, “Thousands of people with manic depression hold down good jobs
successfully and bosses need to be sensitive to the particular impact of an
employee’s disability and respond appropriately.
“Employers
have every right to expect high performance but it does not make business sense
to sack people hastily. This case shows that employers are putting themselves at
risk of litigation if they do so.”
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