A Dumfries pensioner who was awarded £18,000 after taking her employers to a tribunal has this week spoken out about the ordeal.
Margaret Wood described her long-running wrangle with The Food Train as a “nightmare” and said it has shattered her confidence. The 68-year-old, of Lochside, was an administrative worker in the charity’s Dumfries office but claimed she was effectively pushed out the door through unfair treatment and increasing job pressures.
An employment tribunal followed and it all came to a head recently when The Food Train lost its appeal and was forced to pay Mrs Wood £18,000 in compensation for constructive unfair dismissal. Mrs Wood said: “I am obviously pleased with the outcome and that I’ve been able to hold them to account for the way I was treated. The tribunal itself was absolutely horrific.
“The solicitor didn’t hold back in what was a horrible cross-examination. I had to pay between £10,000 and £12,000 in legal fees, and this has also been very costly for The Food Train too with fees and launching an appeal.”
The Food Train is a registered charity and voluntary organisation which has been supporting elderly people across Dumfries and Galloway since 1995. Led by chief executive Michelle Carruthers, its staff and a team of dedicated volunteers provide vital services to those who are no longer able to manage independently, through age, ill health, frailty or disability.
This includes delivery of shopping, helping with household jobs, providing meals and delivering books. Mrs Wood joined the team as an administrative worker at the Dumfries office in April 2016.
However, she claimed she was being mistreated in 2020 and kept being asked to do tasks which were not part of her normal duties. This intensified after she returned from sick leave in the spring of 2020.
She resigned from her role on October 26 that year, but a human resources professional later advised her that The Food Train hadn’t followed the ACAS codes of practice, which set the minimum standard of fairness that workplaces should follow. The case was heard by Glasgow Employment Tribunal on August 17 and 18, 2021. As the hearing occurred during the pandemic, both Mrs Wood and Food Train chief executive Michelle Carruthers gave statements via video link.
Mrs Wood was notified two months later that she had won the case and would be awarded £16,403 in compensation for loss of earnings. However, an appeal was submitted by The Food Train which delayed the outcome by another 18 months and added to the legal costs.
Last month, it was confirmed that the charity had lost its appeal – and Mrs Wood would receive just over £18,000 as the amount had accrued interest.
She said: “The Food Train does exceptional work supporting elderly people in Dumfries and Galloway, but that’s largely the volunteers.”
A spokesperson for the charity said: “It is not Food Train’s position to comment on employment matters.”
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