A man has been awarded €7,000 in compensation after an industrial tribunal ruled that his dismissal last year was “unfair and illegal”.

Carmel Zammit filed a case against his former employer, Office Group Limited, where he had worked for the last 17 years.

The tribunal, presided over by Franco Masini, heard the man explain how on June 30, 2009, he was called into the managing director’s office who told him he had bad news for him.

The managing director, An-thony Micallef, went on to inform him he was being laid off because the company had not received enough work. He handed him a cheque equivalent to the amount of notice he had to work.

Mr Zammit told the tribunal that a certain Kevin Pace, who worked for the same company but who joined after him, was assigned the work he previously carried out.

The company denied Mr Zammit’s claims of unfair dismissal, adding that he had been made redundant because of lack of work and as a result of a reorganisation exercise the company had conducted.

However, the tribunal noted that the company had not provided evidence to support its reorganisation claim. It said although Mr Zammit was employed as a storekeeper, he had carried out a number of other duties including debt collection, purchasing and accounts.

Moreover, it resulted that the company had employed someone new as an accounts assistant soon after Mr Zammit was let off.

It therefore upheld Mr Zammit’s claim of unfair dismissal and awarded him €7,000 compensation.

Lawyer Owen Bonnici assisted Mr Zammit.