Bluefin loses employment tribunal

Bluefin has lost an employment tribunal over the redundancy of a former marine manager.

A judge at London Central employment tribunal found yesterday Adrian Donno was unfairly dismissed while working at Layton Blackham, owned by Venture Preference, which has since been rebranded Bluefin.

However, a Bluefin spokesman said the decision not to award Donno any compensation reflected the company's belief it had acted reasonably.

The tribunal found that Bluefin made technical errors in the application of the statutory dismissal procedure. Donno was made redundant in May last year.

Donno said: “I was pleased that my claim of unfair dismissal was upheld and sincerely hope that this decision will ensure that other Bluefin staff are treated properly in future, particularly bearing in mind Mr Reid's alleged concern for staff wellbeing.”

A Bluefin spokesman said: “Bluefin Insurance Services Limited can confirm that the London Central employment tribunal found that there was an automatic unfair dismissal in the case brought by Adrian Donno. However, whilst Bluefin is disappointed in the verdict, it is important to note that the decision resulted from a technical error in the application of the statutory dismissal procedures and that Mr. Donno has not been awarded any compensation. The company believes it acted reasonably in this case and feels that the fact no compensation payment is required to be made reflects this.

“Bluefin prides itself on operating to the highest professional standards. We work in a service-orientated industry and firmly believe one of our strongest assets is our employees; we therefore take very seriously anything which calls into question the systems and processes we have in place pertaining to our staff and, as we have demonstrated in this case, would seek to address these issues head-on. We have always been committed to industry best practice - and continue to be so - as we look to an exciting period of growth and development under the new brand.”