The Memo: Engineering professor wins £1 million for unfair dismissal

After a lengthy 13-year battle, an engineering professor who was unfairly dismissed by the University of Edinburgh has been awarded more than £1 million for past and future losses. Professor Roya Sheikholeslami moved from Iran to join the department as chair in 2007 and was let go in 2012. A tribunal initially ruled that the professor was let go without following proper procedures or exploring reasonable alternatives. It was also found that she was victimised for raising concerns about gender discrimination and suffered disability discrimination as the university failed to apply its policies for managing sickness absence.  

In 2010, the professor took sick leave after being diagnosed with work-related stress and depression which, under the Equality Act 2010, means she would be recognised as a disabled person. During this period, her salary was halved and then reduced to nothing. In the same year, her and the only other female professor wrote to the university’s principal about misogyny in the department. Following this, the university commissioned a review, which found that the department had planned to deflect the review away so that it would focus on individual, not systemic, issues. The final report also found that men at the university believed that the recent appoint of four women professors was due to supposed ‘positive discrimination.’ Then, in 2012, the university terminated Sheikholeslami’s employment following the expiration of her work permit. There were also six other judgements made in connection to this case, all of which resulted in a whopping £1 million award. 

It’s also worth noting that, from April 2023 to March 2024, there has been an almost 13% increase in the number of employment tribunal claims, jumping from 86,000 to 97,000. For both organisations and law firms, this case exemplifies the need to comply with legislation and organisational policies to reduce risk. Moreover, it demonstrates the time and money that goes into the tribunal process, affecting businesses and individuals alike. For example, government statistics from 2023-24 show that the average unfair dismissal award was £13,749; this increases to an average of £26,532 for race discrimination, £53,403 for gender discrimination, and £102,891 for age discrimination. 

Current UK employment law stipulates that most claims must be filed within three months of the incident, whether that’s unfair dismissal, unlawful deductions from wages, or a discrimination claim. The Labour government has, however, proposed an extension of the limitation from three to six months under the Employment Rights Bill. This will allow claimants to assess their claims more thoroughly by gathering evidence and consulting legal experts and could potentially lead to a further increase in the number of claims seen at tribunals.