A chef sacked for taking sick leave while recovering from an ectopic pregnancy in November 2019 has won £17,000 for unfair dismissal.
Hannah Pawley, who was fired from Hanley's Restaurant in Driffield, Yorkshire after she took three weeks of sick leave to recover, said she felt 'used and betrayed' by her employer.
The restaurant, run by head chef Sean Hanley, refused to pay her the statutory sick leave to which she was legally entitled whilst she was off work, according to Leeds Employment Tribunal.
The tribunal also found that Hannah's employer falsified records to hide the fact that she wasn't being remunerated, preventing her from claiming benefits to soften the blow of losing her job without sick pay.
After a legal battle lasting almost two years, Hannah was awarded £12,000 for injury to feelings and £5,000 for her sick pay and potential lost earnings earlier this month.
The restaurant meanwhile shut down in May, citing 'the impact of coronavirus' as the reason for the permanent closure.
Chef Hannah Pawley has been awarded £17,000 in compensation after she was sacked for taking sick leave from Hanley's Restaurant in Driffield, Yorkshire, while recovering from an ectopic pregnancy
The restaurant, run by head chef Sean Hanley, refused to pay her the statutory sick leave to which she was legally entitled whilst she was off work, according to Leeds Employment Tribunal
Hannah, who has since had a baby and started a homemade food delivery service, said: 'I felt used and betrayed by my employer Sean Hanley.
'I asked for my monies owed and a valid reason for firing me.
'As he couldn't provide one, I felt I had no other option but to bring my case forward to ACAS [the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service] and fight.
'Even at my most broken and vulnerable point, I felt I had to fight for this gross wrongdoing.'
Hannah had been working for Hanley's Restaurant for five months and as a chef for four years in the lead up to her dismissal.
But in November 2019, she suffered an ectopic pregnancy and had to take sick leave as she was unwell and had to cope with strong medical treatment.
Hannah's leave was certified as pregnancy-related sickness.
According to the law, she
