Clarion housing: sign petition against cruel dismissal

Say No to Clarion sacking of disabled Employee

"Our priority during the coronavirus outbreak is to do everything we can to best protect our residents and staff."

This is the first thing you see when you log in to Clarion Housing's Website. That is a very comforting thing to read but Adam Rowe, Clarion employee, felt less than comforted when his employer decided to sack this vulnerable member of staff in the middle of the Corona Virus outbreak. 

Adam has been working at Clarion for over 5 years as a customer accounts specialist The way that Adam has been treated by his employer is in many ways no worse than other employers in our sector and that is what makes his treatment all the more shocking.

Take no sick days

He is a young man suffering from mental health issues who recently had to take sick leave due to the severity of his condition. Upon his return, as part of the sickness management process Clarion demanded that he should take no further sick days for the next three months.

Even management themselves have now acknowledged that this was unrealistic given the gravity of Adam's condition. Therefore it came as no surprise that Adam had to take a day off sick within the three months but what seems to have prompted the employer to take action were the subsequent days Adam took when he was recovering from surgery to remove a cyst on his face, a matter the employer was aware of in advance. 

Cruel warning to Clarion employees

Clarion's treatment and questioning of Adam's post-operative recovery stands out as a model of inappropriate and cruel behaviour and should be a warning to all Clarion employees of the lows to which their employer is prepared to stoop. Despite Adam immediately forwarding his sick note supplied by the surgeon, a senior manager considered it reasonable to contact Adam directly to question the length of recovery time of five days.

Questioned whether operation was necessary

Clarion's approach was led by a senior manager who claims to have played a supporting role! Prior to Adam's surgery the very same manager interviewed him questioning whether the operation was really necessary, implying, without any medical evidence, that it was cosmetic. The decision to subsequently dismiss Adam therefore comes as no surprise but is no less outrageous especially as his absences were clearly declining which indicates an improvement in his performance.

Twist the knife

By dismissing Adam, Clarion have certainly not done everything they could to protect a member of staff as their statement claims, still less a vulnerable member of staff. The timing of this dismissal is also a further twist of the knife, coming as it does in the midst of the Corona pandemic it will be virtually impossible for Adam to find alternative employment.

Mental health problems are a massive problem in the workplace. In 2015 the TUC published a report showing that 65% of people knew someone with a mental health condition. This is why it is essential for employers to held to account for their poor treatment of workers struggling with mental health. In Adams case this is a personal tragedy, but it is also a further attack on disabled employees and workers in general.

Sign the petition

We must raise our voice, sign the petition and secure Adam's reinstatement. Adam's appeal is pending so Clarion still have time to reconsider their decision. Click to go to the pettiton.

Nick Auvache

April 29th 2020