A truck driver has been awarded more than £28,000 after he was sacked for opposing a call to work excessive hours and risk prosecution.
Ron Ellis had been employed by Birmingham-based Blackwell Logistics, which has since gone into liquidation. He had been seeking compensation for unfair dismissal.
Ellis alleged that Blackwell management was attempting to reopen the firm under a new name, a move he and eight other sacked truck drivers opposed.
He said he was ordered by his boss to return to Birmingham, following a trip to Felixstowe, despite pointing out that he would exceed the permitted number of driving hours if he did so.
Upon his return to the office, Ellis alleged his boss told him he was sacked for disobeying instructions.
“I was expected to drive 120 hours a week without sufficient rest periods and wasn’t the only driver who refused to do it,” Ellis said.
Tribunal chairwoman Kay Trucker said Ellis’ claim was well founded and awarded him £28,210.
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Compensation is expected to come from the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and from the firm’s assets.
