£400,000 compensation bid launched by diabetic teacher
A diabetic teacher thrown out of an exclusive London prep school
will claim more than £400,000 in compensation for unfair dismissal
at the Central London Employment Tribunal this month.
Liz Matthys challenged Abercorn School in St John's Wood after
staff allegedly harassed, bullied and discriminated against her
following diagnosis in 2007.
According to her legal team, Mrs Matthys claimed she felt unable
to work after January last year because she had endured a year of
abuse. The teacher, whose financial claim includes pension losses,
was signed off work with stress in November 2008 and did not
return.
She lodged a grievance about her treatment, which was dismissed,
and was informed by the school in April last year that she had been
found guilty of misconduct and sacked. Since then, her appeal
against the decision was dismissed and her job re-advertised last
May.
Mrs Matthys' solicitors are expected to inform the tribunal how
she began to suffer from abnormally high, uncontrolled blood sugars
and palpitations as a result of the way she was treated.
"It is the claimant's belief that disciplinary process and
dismissal were a direct consequence of her disability," added her
solicitor.
Abercorn School will also be challenged over its failure to
carry out an assessment of any reasonable adjustments for
disability or stress risk associated with diabetes.
Mrs Matthys, formerly head of English at the £4,600 a term
school, will approach the central London Employment Tribunal for
her week long hearing in the coming weeks.