PORTS MANAGER WINS UNFAIR DISMISSAL CASE AFTER SACKING

Sahir Rahim, Head of Contract and Cost Management at Associated British Ports, has won an unfair dismissal case at an employment tribunal in Watford. Mr Rahim was dismissed for gross misconduct after being overheard criticising Ben Hodgkin, the company's Head of Programme, in a conversation with a colleague outside ABP's London headquarters on 5 July 2023. The tribunal found that ABP breached Mr Rahim's contract by dismissing him unfairly and by withholding sick pay after he took leave with stress following a final written warning.

Mr Rahim had managed projects with capital expenditure between £20 million and £150 million at ABP, which operates 21 ports across the UK. He joined the company in January 2020 and was based at its Ipswich site, although he worked at multiple locations. The tribunal heard that in March 2023 Mr Rahim raised an internal governance issue, after which he felt his responsibilities were reduced and he was set unrealistic deadlines. On the day of the incident, he had been warned during a meeting with Mr Hodgkin against undermining colleagues in front of others.

The tribunal determined that Mr Rahim was entitled to wages he was owed, including sick pay that should have been paid during his absence. The judgment establishes that the circumstances of his dismissal and the company's handling of his subsequent sick leave constituted a breach of contract by ABP.