Former Burger King cook who was sacked for taking home a fish sandwich, fries and a drink awarded £28,000 in damages
Long-serving burger worker banks huge payout after employment tribunal ruling
A SACKED Burger King cook who got the boot for taking home a fish sandwich, fries and a drink has been awarded £28,000 in damages.
Usha Ram, 55, had been finishing her shift on Boxing Day and had asked the store’s manager Tayyaba Salman if she could have some food to take home.
She claimed she was allowed the food without paying because she had forgotten her wallet.
But Mrs Salman, who had worked for fast-food for 24 years, was later sacked when she was accused of stealing her takeaway.
The Vancouver resident then took the franchise co-owners to an industrial tribunal.
Here a judge awarded damages on grounds that her dismissal was “unreasonable, unfair and unduly insensitive manner”.
, Justice Lisa Warren, said: "Given the absence of any evidence of premeditation or attempted concealment ...her economic vulnerability as a 55-year-old woman with little education who had worked as a fast food cook for 24 years, summary dismissal would not be a proportionate sanction."
Related stories
At the time of her dismissal, in January 2014, she was earning £12,000 a year and working full-time.
The judge ordered franchise co-owners to pay her £12,000 in damages or the equivalent of one-year severance.
The judge also awarded her £15,000 in aggravated damages for emotional distress.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368