A Droitwich former warehouse supervisor who lost his job following clashes with his boss over pressure of work, has been awarded nearly £13,000 for unfair dismissal.

Mr Neil Ballard of Little Hill Court, Droitwich, his boss, director Mr John O’Mahony and another employee, had all previously been good friends and worked well together as a team, Birmingham Employment Tribunal was told.

Mr Ballard made his claim for unfair dismissal against Lamp & gear Ltd of Wassage Way, Droitwich which had nine employees at the time, it was said.

The tribunal was told that Mr Ballard was a loyal and hard working employee who worked under extreme pressure.

He and Mr O’Mahony had got on well together until Mr Ballard started calling for extra staff to cope with the work load, said Mr Jonathan Meichen, representing Mr Ballard.

The tribunal was told there was an altercation between Mr Ballard and Mr O’Mahony involving criticism and alleged abuse. Mr Ballard denied an allegation by Mr O’Mahony that he had used bad language towards him.

As a result, Mr Ballard claimed he was dismissed for alleged gross misconduct.

Tribunal Chairperson Ms Mary Cocks said there had been a heated discussion between the two men during which Mr Ballard had obviously reached the ‘end of his tether’, while Mr O’Mahony believed Mr Ballard had turned on him.

Ms Cocks said she believed Mr O’Mahony had exaggerated what Mr Ballard was alleged to have said and had been particularly sensitive over criticism.

She said she also felt that Mr Ballard could have been given a warning instead of being dismissed.

Ms Cocks said Mr Ballard had been unfairly dismissed and awarded him £12,870.

The amount included a 40 per cent penalty uplift because she said the statutory dismissal procedure had not been carried out.

‘This is a sad case because special relationships between the people involved have come to an end,’ said Ms Cocks.