GMB Slams DHL Over Sacking Of Worker Suffering From What Turned Out To Be A Terminal Illness

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Date / 26th July 2005

GMB Union today called upon DHL management to publicly apologies to the family of one of its employees, whom it callously sacked for suspected malingering or unauthorised absence when in fact he was suffering from ill health that had given rise to confusion and in the end his death.

60 year old, Bernard Doherty, a GMB member, was employed by DHL at the Nine Elms, Vauxhall depot in London. He was off sick and advised the company by phone of his illness. He was on his way to post a doctors certificate to the company when he went missing. He subsequently turned up at his brother’s house but did not know where he had been or how he had got to the house. He was admitted to hospital. He was diagnosed with a three month history of confusion and weight loss. He died a week ago yesterday, on Monday 18th July 2005.

DHL had phoned his wife who informed them that her husband was missing and that she would get in touch as soon as she had any news. Mrs. Doherty subsequently phoned DHL to inform them that her husband was in hospital. She was flabbergasted and angry to be told by DHL that Mr. Doherty no longer worked at the Nine Elms depot because the sick note form the doctor had not turned up. It appears that DHL assumed the Mr. Doherty was either malingering or was involved in an unauthorised absence when in fact he was terminally ill. DHL dismissed him when they did not receive the sick note from Mr. Doherty’s doctor or replies to correspondence they had sent to his home while he was missing.

Mick Rix GMB National Officer for DHL said, “This is an appalling case of management where workers are just a number and the human element is ignored. It seems that DHL assumes that if a worker fails to turn up for work that they are either malingering or are involved in an unauthorised absence and therefore should be subject to discipline. It did not occur to DHL management that their employee could be very ill, have met with an accident or that something untoward had happened to him.

“DHL should at a very minimum check with the doctor when one of their staff informs them that they are ill before sacking them. If they had done so in this case they would have established the seriousness of the ill health of their employee. I call on DHL management to apologies to the family and to give the GMB an assurance the nothing like this will happen again. It is to DHL’s shame that they sacked one of their employees when in fact it turns out he was terminally ill.”