A €35,000 industrial tribunal award to an unfairly dismissed British High Commission employee has been confirmed on appeal.

Glynis Valerie Pace had filed her case against the British High Commission in 2008. 

She had been engaged as a personal assistant to the senior commercial officer in 1999.  But in February 2008 she was told that her employment was being terminated with effect from May of that year for reasons of redundancy.

Ms Pace claimed that the reasons given by the Commission for the termination of her employment were not justified as this was not a real case of redundancy.  She added that the Commission was in breach of her contract of employment and that she was entitled to compensation.

On its part the Commission refuted Ms Pace's claims and said that she had been made redundant as the Commission was undergoing a restructuring process in all its departments including London's UK Trade and Investment. 

It had been decided that the commercial section within the Commission in Malta was to be closed down and that Ms Pace's position as commercial assistant was being made redundant.

The tribunal found in favour of Ms Pace and awarded her €35,000 in compensation. In its award the tribunal noted that Ms Pace had not been employed by the Foreign Office but by the Commission.

Moreover, it resulted that while other employees had also been made redundant, they had received compensation which was roughly equivalent to two years' salary.  Ms Pace had been discriminated against as she had not been given any compensation.

In today’s judgment Madam Justice Edwina Grima confirmed the tribunal's award in its entirety.