A new mum has won a £17,500 payout after she was sacked from her job at a vape shop when she got pregnant.
Sintija Gaikniece, 25, was booted from her job in the Scottish town of Forfar last June after bosses told her, without evidence, that there had been complaints about her "attitude" from customers.
But she would later discover that a job advertisement had already been placed for her replacement a few days before she was let go - leading her to believe they simply didn't want her on the payroll while she was on maternity leave.
An employment tribunal agreed with her claim that the firm had made plans to get rid of her, and ordered VPZ to pay compensation.
Speaking to the Daily 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 Edinburgh-based firm VPZ in January 2022 when 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 told by her boss that he had received complaints about her "customer attitude".
She recalled: “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.
"I went home and signed on for Universal Credit.”
Sintija lodged an employment tribunal claim after seeking assistance from Maternity Action, a charity that battles pregnancy discrimination.
But the stress of taking her old bosses to court exacerbated an existing anxiety condition, and she began to rack up thousands of pounds in debt while looking after baby Thomas, who was born on November 8, without a job.
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.
Sintija claims the handbook would prove she had not been complained about - but the company did not hand it over.
And while VPZ, which has around 150 stores across the UK, requested an extension to the tribunal proceedings it did not file a formal response to her claims.
After being presented with the proof of the job advert without any engagement in the process from the vape chain, employment judge Sally Cowen ordered the firm to pay Sintija £17,583.06.
This included £4,000 of lost earnings, £300 of notice pay and thousands in compensation.
Speaking afterwards, Sintija said: “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.”
A spokesperson for VPZ stated that company would appeal the decision.
They 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.”
