Harrods employee sues company for £1 million over cake sacking
A former employee of the world famous department store Harrods is claiming £1 million in compensation following his dismissal for allegedly eating a slice of cake.
Restaurant Supervisor Juan Mackenzie, 35, was sacked for allegedly eating the £7.50 slice of cake after a customer complained it was “too dry”. While Mr Mackenzie claims to have been merely “tasting” the cake to test its quality, fellow employees stated he consumed the cake, which is then classed as an act of misconduct.
As an employer Harrods are perfectly within their rights to take action against any employee accused of proven misconduct. Taking into consideration Mr Mackenzies annual salary of £24,000 a £1 million pound claim seems exaggerated and extreme. Unfortunately it doesn’t end there, the court costs involved in these cases often run into tens of thousands of pounds. Harrods may be able to cover these costs, however SME’s in many cases simply cannot.
Rallis employment solicitors in Manchester have come up with the abc (Absolute Business Care) a scheme that provides essential business protection against unforeseen situations such as the Harrods case.
It will be interesting to see the outcome of such a claim. Mackenzie a Chilean national is also claiming to have been discriminated against by colleagues between July and October 2014 due to his race, age and sex.
The tribunal continues.
