John Lewis criticised over long-term sick pay errors at Jersey store

John Lewis criticised over long-term sick pay errors at Jersey store
30 Aug 2018

An employment tribunal has criticised John Lewis for the “significant payroll errors” experienced by a former employee on the island of Jersey and has called on the UK department store chain to apologise.

Mircea Donciu took John Lewis Plc to the Employment and Discrimination Tribunal, claiming he was unfairly dismissed and owed thousands of pounds in sick pay. Although the tribunal found the organisation had a “potentially fair reason” for getting rid of Donciu based on “capability concerns”, it still awarded him £3,014.34 (US$3,862.80). The panel also criticised John Lewis for its failure to rectify the payroll errors sooner, according to the Jersey Evening Post.

The judgment read: "We did express dismay at the conclusion of the hearing that such a large employer, which prides itself on its standards as an employer, would make such significant payroll errors over such a long period without taking the time to correct those mistakes when queries were raised."

It added: "We think it would be appropriate for Donciu to receive a full apology from the employer for the payroll errors."

Donciu, who was first employed by John Lewis in 2013, was a night-shift manager at the time of his dismissal. He became unwell in 2016 and took “significant periods” of sick leave. Between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017, he only attended work for 45 days.

John Lewis dismissed Donciu on the grounds of his capability in July last year, but he did not appeal the decision.

 Emma Woollacott

Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.

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An employment tribunal has criticised John Lewis for the “significant payroll errors” experienced by a former employee on the island of Jersey and has called on the UK department store chain to apologise.

Mircea Donciu took John Lewis Plc to the Employment and Discrimination Tribunal, claiming he was unfairly dismissed and owed thousands of pounds in sick pay. Although the tribunal found the organisation had a “potentially fair reason” for getting rid of Donciu based on “capability concerns”, it still awarded him £3,014.34 (US$3,862.80). The panel also criticised John Lewis for its failure to rectify the payroll errors sooner, according to the Jersey Evening Post.

The judgment read: "We did express dismay at the conclusion of the hearing that such a large employer, which prides itself on its standards as an employer, would make such significant payroll errors over such a long period without taking the time to correct those mistakes when queries were raised."

It added: "We think it would be appropriate for Donciu to receive a full apology from the employer for the payroll errors."

Donciu, who was first employed by John Lewis in 2013, was a night-shift manager at the time of his dismissal. He became unwell in 2016 and took “significant periods” of sick leave. Between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017, he only attended work for 45 days.

John Lewis dismissed Donciu on the grounds of his capability in July last year, but he did not appeal the decision.

 Emma Woollacott

Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.

OTHER ARTICLES THAT MAY INTEREST YOU

Monthly Measures: Investigating different payroll errors

Payroll metrics: Uncovering the data that leads to continuous improvement

Zambian government workers hit by payment errors

 

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