'Shouldn't be in pub' | Worker sacked for drinking in club while off sick was unfairly dismissed

A worker who was fired after he was spotted drinking in a social club while on sick leave has recently won his case at an employment tribunal.

According to experts, the judge’s decision, and the case, highlights the need for ‘robust disciplinary procedures', as well as a need to have ‘appropriate policies in place’.

The BBC reported that Colin Kane was fired by Debmat Surfacing in Ryton, Gateshead, after he was spotted smoking outside a bar in March last year.

Kane, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was found not to have broken the firm’s rules, with Judge Andrea Pitt ruling that the worker had been unfairly dismissed.