A new mum has been awarded £17,500 after a chain of vape shops advertised her sales job then sacked her while she was pregnant.
Sintija Gaikniece, 25, was dumped from her sales job at VPZ in Forfar last June. Bosses told the mum-to-be that there had been complaints about her “attitude” from customers, without evidence.
She then discovered that a job ad had been placed for her replacement a few days before she was let go. An employment tribunal agreed with her claim that the firm had been scheming to get rid of her, and ordered VPZ to pay compensation.
Speaking to the Record, Sintija said: “I was so shocked. I was six months pregnant with a child on the way.
“I don’t think they wanted someone gone for so long on maternity leave and to have to pay me while I was off. So I think they came up with a reason to fire me and they had a job advert ready to replace me.”
Sintija began working for VPZ – an Edinburgh-based firm previously known as Vaporized – in January 2022. She discovered she was pregnant around two weeks into the job.
Managers told her that her maternity leave would be discussed, but she claims the conversation never happened. Unexpectedly, on June 29 she was pulled into the back office and sacked.
Sintija recalled: “At the end of June I had a probationary meeting with my boss, who said he had had complaints about my customer attitude.
“He didn’t tell me what it was, just that I hadn’t passed my probation and that I could leave now if I wanted. That was that. I went home and signed on for Universal Credit.”
With assistance from Maternity Action, a charity that battles pregnancy discrimination, Sintija lodged an employment tribunal claim.
But the stress of taking her old bosses to court exacerbated an existing anxiety condition, and she amassed thousands in debt struggling to look after baby Thomas, who was born on November 8, while unemployed.
She made a subject access request to VPZ for a copy of her personal information, including a probationary handbook that contained feedback from her managers. She claims the handbook would prove she had not been complained about; the company did not hand it over.
And while VPZ – which has around 150 stores – did request an extension to the tribunal proceedings it did not file a formal response to Sintija’s claims.
Presented with the proof of the job advert, and the vape chain’s lack of engagement in the process, employment judge Sally Cowen ordered the firm to pay Sintija £17,583.06, including £4,000 of lost earnings, £300 of notice pay and thousands in compensation.
Sintija added: “I think they VPZ have just thought I would drop it. They don’t know how to look after their staff and it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders after the ruling.
“I just wish they would have accepted that they got it wrong and said sorry. It has given me such bad anxiety because I was worrying about how I was going to raise my child.”
VPZ did not respond to Sintija’s requests for the payment to be made after the ruling. After the firm was contacted by the Daily Record, the sum was transferred in a matter of hours.
A spokesperson for VPZ said: “VPZ is the UK’s leading vaping retailer employing over 450 people throughout the country. As one of the country’s fastest growing companies, we have developed an inclusive culture that enables all of our people to develop and thrive.
“We are committed to equal opportunities and have a leading paternity and maternity policy that is providing benefits and flexibility to staff across our growing retail network.
"We respect and will follow the judgement of the tribunal. However we are appealing the decision and due to ongoing legal proceedings we cannot comment any further on the case.”
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