Stroke Survivor solves the case of job discrimination for £ 100k

Jessica Lawrence

BBC News Ni

Cliff Donaldson was suffering from two strokes in January 2023, and took eight weeks to recover

BBC Cliff Donaldson is looking at the camera directly with a neutral expression on his face. He is a big man with bald head, and is wearing a gray plaid blazer and a red and white flannel shirt below. He stands outside the blue signals of the same commission building. — Cliff Donaldson was suffering from two strokes in January 2023, and took eight weeks to recover

A person who said that he had lost his job after suffering from two strokes, he has decided a disability and age discrimination for £ 100,000 against his former employer.

After becoming ill in January 2023, Cliff Donaldson’s speech and movement were affected, due to which he was motivated to cut his work hours and take low salary.

The former property site manager took the case against Fraser Partners Limited after the recruitment of a new, small site manager and Mr. Donaldson was told that his employment would end in September 2023.

A spokesman of the Fraser Partners, who resolved the case without the entry of liability, stated that they “firmly denies the claims made but chose to settle to avoid a long legal process”.

A statement said, “We are fully committed to equality, fairness and inclusion in the workplace, and continue to review our policies to meet the highest standards.”

‘I didn’t know what my future was’

Talking to BBC News NI, Mr. Donaldson said he joined the fraser partners – earlier known as Fraser Estates – as a civil engineer in 1986, as a civil engineer, was asked to take the role of Housing Development Management in 2016.

After suffering from two strokes, 63 -year -old, living in Belfast, took eight weeks before returning to a phased basis.

However, he said that he was expected to “never in a million years” that his employment was ending during a regular weekly meeting.

“This was a shock for me that I was allowed to leave after 40 years of cooperation with the company,” he said.

Mr. Donaldson said he was very disappointed, and his mental health faced “tremendous”.

He said, “I came to know that I was the worst of my life two weeks after leaving because I did not know if I had a future.”

“When you have a stroke, it changes your life, you wonder: ‘How am I taking care of my family?”

“You have no income, you don’t have a job. You wonder where the next step is coming from.”

Mr. Donaldson worked as a property site manager with Fraser Partners Limited since 2016

A stock image of four people at a construction site parked on a large slab of Getty Images Gray concrete. They are holding a large roll of white paper that displays the plans of a house on it. They are wearing yellow hard hats, and in the middle two people wearing yellow hi-viz jackets. — Mr. Donaldson worked as a property site manager with Fraser Partners Limited since 2016

Shri Donaldson’s case was supported by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, which he said, helped him feel less alone.

“I still have a lot to give. I am in consultation at the moment and my physical condition has been improved in the last two years,” he said.

“I hope counseling will help me return to my normal self, but it may take time.”

Employees felt ‘left’

Geraldin McGai of the Equality Commission said that the organization joined the case of Mr. Donaldson as many people may be related to living with an employer for a long time and can feel alone when things go wrong.

“Employers should know about their obligations, they should fulfill their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act,” she said.

“I think the case of Cliff shows very clearly that employers have the obligation, but they have to tell their employees about their rights.”

The head of the Commission said that Mr. Donaldson felt “very abandoned” and needed his employer’s support.

“A good employer will tell an employee like Cliff: ‘This is what I have to do with you, that we are going to work together” … because they have the responsibility of making proper adjustments to help that employee to stay at work.

“They [Fraser Partners Ltd)] Clif should have communicated with Cliff, they should talk to them what their needs were, and they should have tried to re -train or maintain the valuable experience that Clif made in 40 years, “Smt McGAGAI said.

Graldin McGahe of Equality Commission in Northern Ireland

Geraldin McGahe sits on a black, leather office chair at its desk and smiles on the camera. She has a medium-length golden hair and is wearing a dark blazer and a Navy dress with polka dots. — Graldin McGahe of Equality Commission in Northern Ireland

Mrs. McChaghe said that resolution has resulted in a major colony, and the Commission has worked with the company to review its policies and procedures, and supported them to correct things.

“Because if you do not find things right, it spends you a lot of money and also has a lot of real reputation for your business,” he said.

“People will be influenced by this story, they will consider how the employers behave and behavior of their employees and it can affect their loyalty to that kind of business.”

He said that most employers will have the right policies within their businesses.

“But it’s not good if you don’t apply them,” he said.

“You have got to ensure that it is a living document, knowing how to implement it, but similarly employees should know what their rights are under that policy.”