THE government’s former head of HR doctored a letter firing an employee who suffered PTSD after working with the bereaved families of the Grenfell Tower fire and gave “untrue” evidence to a UK employment tribunal when questioned about it.
The employee has been awarded £4.6 million in compensation in what is believed to be the highest-ever such award against a public body, after the tribunal found London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham guilty of disability discrimination and harassment.
Mark Grimley, Jersey’s former chief people and transformation officer, who was HR director of the borough at the time, was found to be “an unreliable witness” who “gave evidence under oath which [he] knew to be untrue” by the tribunal in a case following the sacking of Rachael Wright-Turner, who was dismissed from her £125,000-a-year role in 2018 after taking sick leave.
Mr Grimley resigned from his Jersey role at the government at the end of last year for “personal reasons”.
He had been in post for over four years, having been hired as group director of people and corporate services by former government chief executive Charlie Parker in June 2019, joining from the London borough council.
The tribunal heard that Ms Wright-Turner developed post-traumatic stress disorder while working at Kensington and Chelsea council as a humanitarian assistance lead with those impacted by the Grenfell fire, which killed 72 people in 2017 when fire engulfed a residential tower block.
Ms Wright-Turner then moved to Hammersmith and Fulham council to work as director of public services reform.
She was signed off work after a meeting with colleagues – including Mr Grimley – at a pub triggered her PTSD.
She had a panic attack and was taken to hospital on 2 May 2018.
At around 9pm that night, Mr Grimley texted the council’s chief executive at the time, Kim Smith, reporting that Ms Wright-Turner had “booked herself into A&E”.
He added: “But don’t worry. She’s okay. It’s not an emergency she’s had a lot to drink.”
The tribunal found Mr Grimley’s text to be “inaccurate in several respects”.
“The claimant had not booked herself into A&E, she was not drunk but had had a panic attack and was feeling suicidal,” the panel said.
Separately, Ms Wright-Turner had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the tribunal heard.
After learning of the diagnosis, Ms Smith said Ms Wright-Turner’s brain “doesn’t work like other people’s”.
Ms Smith also asked whether Ms Wright-Turner had disclosed her ADHD when she was recruited.
Mr Grimley was appointed as a “buddy” for Ms Wright-Turner without any prior discussion, the tribunal heard, which Ms Wright-Turner perceived as being viewed as someone with “special needs” who was being singled out for additional support.
In a text message to Ms Smith, Ms Wright-Turner said “my ‘buddy’ isn’t a safe buddy for me”.
Ms Wright-Turner was later dismissed while on sick leave without a chance to discuss or challenge the decision.
The tribunal ruled that Ms Smith and Mr Grimley misled the tribunal by claiming that Ms Wright-Turner was informed on 2 May – the day she was admitted to hospital – that her probation was to be extended.
It was concluded that Ms Smith in fact took the decision a day later on 3 May 2018, when it was understood that Ms Wright-Turner would take leave for her mental health.
The tribunal found that, before deciding to dismiss the claimant, Ms Smith instructed Mr Grimley to review the claimant’s health file for references to her disabilities and noted the risk that the claimant would complain about her dismissal because of their discussion on 2 May.
The tribunal also found that Ms Smith and Mr Grimley doctored Ms Wright-Turner’s dismissal letter so it would appear to have been signed before she launched a grievance against the council, it was concluded.
No mention was made of her PTSD or ADHD in her termination letter “to avoid any inference that this decision was in any way connected with the claimant’s mental health or related sickness absence”, the tribunal panel said.
Following the resolution of the six-year legal battle, Ms Wright-Turner told the Daily Mail that her former employer had treated her like “some sort of drama queen”.
“I don’t think they understood how closely I’d been working with the families in the aftermath of Grenfell,” she said.
Ms Wright-Turner also spoke to the newspaper about the impact of her dismissal, saying her marriage had collapsed and she was “fighting” to stop her house from being repossessed.
The JEP has asked the government to confirm if they were aware of the case involving Mr Grimley before he was hired or only became aware later.
