Stroke survivor secures £100k settlement in workplace discrimination case

A man who said he lost his job after two strokes has settled a disability and age discrimination claim against his former employer for £100k.

Cliff Donaldson’s speech and movement were affected after he became ill in January 2023, leading him to cut his hours and accept a reduced salary.

The 63-year-old from Belfast, and former property site manager, took the case against Fraser Partners Ltd – previously known as Fraser Estates – after a younger site manager was hired and he was told in September 2023 that his employment would end.

He had worked for the company since 1986, first as a civil engineer before moving into housing development management in 2016.

After his strokes, Mr Donaldson took eight weeks off before returning to work on a phased basis.

He said he “never in a million years” expected to be told during a routine weekly meeting that he was losing his job.

Donaldson told BBC News NI: “It was such a shock to me that after 40 years of association with the company that I was let go.”

Mr Donaldson said his mental health suffered “tremendously” after his dismissal.

He said: “Two weeks after I found out I was let go was the worst of my life because I didn’t know if I had a future at all.

“When you have a stroke, it changes your life, you wonder: ‘How am I going to look after my family?’

“You have no income, you don’t have a job. You wonder where the next step is coming from.”

He said the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland helped him feel less alone during the case.

The Equality Commission’s chief commissioner, Geraldine McGahey, said Fraser Partners should have discussed Mr Donaldson’s needs and looked at ways to retain his experience.

“A good employer would tell an employee like Cliff: ‘This is what I have to do with you, this is how we’re going to work together’… because they have an obligation to make reasonable adjustments to help that employee stay at work,” she said.

“They should have communicated with Cliff, they should have talked to him about what his needs were, and they should have sought to try to re-train or retain some of that valuable experience that Cliff had built up over 40 years.”

Fraser Partners settled the case without admitting liability. A spokesperson said they “strongly deny the claims made but chose to settle in order to avoid a lengthy legal process”.

“We remain fully committed to equality, fairness, and inclusion in the workplace, and continue to review our policies to ensure they meet the highest standards,” the statement added.

Mrs McGahey said the outcome involved a significant settlement and the commission had worked with the company to review its policies and procedures.

“Because if you don’t get things right, it costs you a lot of money and a lot of actual reputation for your business as well,” she said.

“People will be impacted by this story, they will consider how employers behave and treat their employees and that can impact on their loyalty to that kind of business.”

She added that while most employers have policies in place, “that’s no good if you don’t implement them”.

“You’ve got to make sure that it’s a living document, that your managers know how to implement it, but similarly the employees must know what their rights are under that policy as well.”

Mr Donaldson said he is in counselling and his physical condition has improved in the past two years.