A woman who was fired from her job back in 2022 after revealing she was pregnant with her second child has been awarded £28,000 in compensation. Nikita Twitchen, who worked as an assistant at Pontypridd-based building firm First Grade Projects, was made redundant in April 2022 shortly after returning from maternity leave.
Twitchen filed an unfair dismissal claim, she told employment tribunal that during her back to office meeting her managing director Jeremy Morgan showed enthusiasm about her return.However, when she informed Morgan at the end of the meeting that she was pregnant again, his attitude changed.
Metro UK reported that although they had a good working relationship, Twitchen noticed a shift in communication. When her maternity leave ended in March 2022, no one from the company contacted her about returning to work.
After returning from maternity leave in March 2022, Twitchen did not hear from her employer about resuming work. Despite emailing her boss on April 4 regarding her holiday entitlement, she received no reply. She followed up on April 11 and 18, and later that day, her boss informed her that she was being made redundant due to financial difficulties and delays in payments affecting the business.
Morgan later informed her that because of a new software installation her role in the company “would no longer exist.”
However, the employment tribunal said that they found no evidence of financial issues or new software, which Morgan claimed had made her role obsolete. Judge Robin Havard said that Morgan had made no mention of these challenges during their earlier discussions, and that the company had since rebranded, hired new employees, and invested in vehicles.
The judge ruled that Twitchen’s dismissal was unfair and discriminatory, concluding that she was let go because of her pregnancy. The judge also pointed out that the lack of any written explanation for her redundancy and the change in Morgan’s attitude suggested discrimination.
First Grade Projects and Morgan were ordered to pay £28,706 in compensation. The company, a sponsor of Swansea City FC and First Grade Projects said, “”We are deeply disappointed with the tribunal’s decision. We are currently reviewing all relevant information and exploring all possible options. At this time, we are unable to provide any further comment.”