A Surrey greenkeeper has triumphed in an unfair dismissal case after his digger accident.
Tadworth: A greenkeeper at Walton Heath Golf Club had a rough time after his digger fell into a hole. Michael Haynes, who worked there for nearly 40 years, was fired for what the club called gross misconduct. But he fought back and won his case for unfair dismissal.
The whole thing started when his digger tipped over, but the deputy course manager thought it was no big deal. They didn’t even write it down in the accident log. But the higher-ups saw it differently and decided to let him go.
Mr. Haynes argued he thought he had reported the incident. He believed it didn’t need to be logged since no one got hurt. The club, however, claimed he broke health and safety rules by not reporting it properly.
During the investigation, it turned out there were some inconsistencies in how the incident was described. The tribunal found that the club exaggerated the seriousness of what happened. They didn’t really consider other options before deciding to fire him.
Even though the tribunal found him partly at fault for not logging the accident, they ruled that the dismissal process was unfair. They said the club didn’t give him a fair chance to explain himself or consider a lighter punishment.
In the end, Mr. Haynes will get some compensation, but it’ll be cut by half because he didn’t report the accident. It’s a tough break, but at least he stood up for himself and got some justice.
Walton Heath Golf Club hasn’t commented on the ruling yet, but it’s clear this incident has stirred up quite a bit of discussion.
