London Underground must pay £42,000 to a train driver with Long Covid who was unfairly dismissed.
The Standard
Extracts
A Tube train driver who was unfairly sacked as he battled the debilitating effects of Long Covid has won a payout of more than £42,000.
William Salietti contracted the virus on April 6, 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic, and was signed off sick from work.
He was formally diagnosed with Long Covid in February 2021, while on long-term sick leave, and he was ultimately dismissed by London Underground Ltd in September of that year.
Mr Salietti, who had worked as a Tube train operator since 2016, sued his former bosses, and at a tribunal in Watford his claims of unfair dismissal, disability discrimination, and failure to make reasonable adjustments were upheld.
MEA Comment
People with ME/CFS are normally covered by the 2010 Equality Act in relation to modifications at work and unfair dismissal.
The situation is not as clear with Long Covid, but there are now cases where the courts have concluded that the 2010 Equality Act can also apply to some individual cases of Long Covid.
Dr Charles Shepherd,
Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association,
Member of the 2018-2021 NICE Guideline Committee,
Member of the 2002 Independent Working Group on ME/CFS
