A security company was ordered to pay €16,000 in compensation to a former employee, a shop steward, after an industrial tribunal established he had been unjustly fired, the General Workers’ Union said.

Joseph Zarb, who worked as a security guard, was fired by JF Security & Consultancy Services after the company felt he did not have a good attitude towards clients, the union said. The employers did not like Mr Zarb because of his role in the trade union, it added.

In its decision, the industrial tribunal said Mr Zarb was an “exemplary employee”, interested in his job and, because he was a shop steward, would seek to protect his rights and those of his colleagues. He would also focus on health and safety at work, the union added.

The industrial tribunal, the GWU added, pointed out that workers should not be penalised for safeguarding their rights.