An employment tribunal has found that Barrhead Travel founder Bill Munro was unfairly dismissed.
Munro, who founded the travel agency in 1975, was made redundant months after being given an advisory role as part of US firm Travel Leaders’ £36 million takeover of the Scottish headquartered agency in 2018.
The tribunal ruled in his favour but advised it was “not practicable” that he returns to the company and that Munro would not receive any compensation, aside from £2,754 to cover his four weeks’ notice.
Munro received £9 million from the takeover deal and was being paid £67 an hour on a zero-hours contract for an ‘ambassadorial’ role before his dismissal.
A tribunal in Glasgow in November heard that Munro refused to sign a new contract which he claimed was because it did not factor in his 42 years continual service.
Travel Leaders’ boss Ninan Chacko said he had “no intention” to sack Munro, but was forced to after Munro “threw [the contract] back in their face”.
Munro had argued he was unfairly sidelined from the business, but Travel Leaders said Munro would not let go of management duties and believed himself “utterly indispensable” to Barrhead.
The tribunal had heard Munro began claiming for hours in excess of what was expected, and that Travel Leaders took issue with what he was claiming for and accused him of “double dipping”.
In his summary issued on Wednesday, Judge Wiseman said: “I decided the offer of alternative employment on unreasonable terms and the flawed appeal process rendered the dismissal of the claimant unfair.”
The report also stated that Munro had been offered “numerous offers of employment” but “had to refuse these because he is subject to restrictive covenants”.
Barrhead has declined to comment.
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