Cleobury Mortimer quantity surveyor loses unfair dismissal case (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Cleobury Mortimer quantity surveyor loses unfair dismissal case

11:20am Monday 30th November 2009

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A CLEOBURY Mortimer quantity surveyor complained he unfairly lost his job as a Stourbridge office manager despite sacrificing his full-time salary to go part-time to help his employers combat the recession.

Guy James, 54, of Tenbury Road, Cleobury Mortimer, agreed to work part-time instead of a five-day week at the Stourbridge office of Countrywide Quantity Surveyors Ltd, Birmingham Employment Tribunal was told.

He also believed working part-time would help him avoid any redundancies.

But Thomas Codrey, representing the firm, said the redundancies had to be made because of the effects of the housing market recession on the company. As a result, Mr James was made redundant, after joining the firm in 1984.

Mr James said he believed he had been wrongly selected for redundancy and made a compensation claim for unfair dismissal.

But tribunal chairman, David Dimbylow, said the firm had faced a downturn in business.

He explained: “We have been told that Countrywide has already reduced its workforce and cut the number of its regional offices from 35 to 18 after having a £30 million turnover not so long ago.

“Mr James had no mortgage and was the oldest surveyor at the Stourbridge office and thought he could help the firm by working part-time.’ “But he complained his sacrifice was not considered when redundancy selection were made.

“Mr James, however, had been warned about the redundancy situation and his claim for unfair dismissal is rejected.”

Mr James said later he had formed his own survey business as a rival to Countrywide.

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