Wandsworth Council dismissed Mr Sinclair for being under the influence of alcohol at work. In fact, Mr Sinclair was an alcoholic. An employment tribunal decided that Wandsworth had not followed its "Alcohol Policy" and the dismissal was unfair. Mr Sinclair's behaviour had contributed to his dismissal but the tribunal specifically ignored the alcoholism (as an illness) in reducing compensation by only 25%. Wandsworth cross-appealed this point - and the EAT found in their favour (having dismissed their appeal against the main finding).
Case Summary Tag: