Claire Perry, Conservative MP for the Devizes constituency, has been ordered to pay compensation to the friend she sacked from her office. The judge who heard the case at the Bristol Employment Tribunal also criticised Mrs Perry’s handling of the reshuffle of her office staff.
The complaint against the MP was brought by Mrs Penny Nurick who had worked for Mrs Perry since 2010 and was sacked in February this year. The case was heard before Judge Jenny Mulvaney in September – as reported by Marlborough News Online.
Mrs Perry had claimed that Mrs Nurick was not able to cover a new role in her office that covered both policy and constituency-surgery roles. In her evidence to the tribunal she had admitted that the dismissal by reason of redundancy was unfair – and the judge agreed.
Mrs Perry was ordered to pay Mrs Nurick £1,296.88. This was made up of a basic award based on age and service of £332.29, compensation of £664.59 and £300 for loss of statutory rights.
The sum was calculated to reflect the length of time Mrs Nurick’s employment would have been extended had a fair redundancy procedure been followed.
Finding in Mrs Nurick’s favour, the judge said that the sacking had taken place in an ‘absence of consultation’. There had been no discussion about the new job with Mrs Nurick.
“In addition no notice of the meeting at which she was informed of her redundancy was given and she was not informed of her right to be accompanied at that meeting.”
The new role in Mrs Perry’s office was filled by Tamara Reay. Mrs Nurick lives in Marden, near Pewsey.
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