A FORMER ScotRail boss is suing the train firm for unfair dismissal after she turned up at her appraisal and was suddenly told she was being “exited from the business”.
Linda Gallacher believed she was attending her performance review with line manager Jacqueline Taggart, then director of customer service, but was instead dismissed without warning.
It came after a fall-out between the two women, which Ms Taggart described as a “complete breakdown in trust and confidence”.
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Ms Gallacher, who was head of customer experience and standards for Abellio ScotRail, has launched an employment tribunal against the firm where she is also claiming she suffered disability, age and sex discrimination.
The tribunal heard that Ms Gallacher is considered disabled due to suffering from depression and symptoms of the menopause.
She was off work sick for a period between November 2016 and January 2017.
Ms Taggart told the tribunal that, prior to this, the pair’s relationship had become “stretched” due to issues over pay, on-call work and the appointment of staff within Ms Gallacher’s team.
The issues came to a head at a meeting in March last year and - unbeknown to Ms Gallacher - the director went to HR and began drawing up a business plan to have her removed.
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Solicitor Catherine Greig, representing Ms Gallacher, asked Ms Taggart: “The claimant went to her appraisal, or what was meant to be her appraisal, but instead of that going ahead, you told her that you were exiting her from the business, is that correct?”
She replied: “That’s correct.”
Ms Taggart also told the tribunal that despite numerous meetings with HR and finance regarding Ms Gallacher’s dismissal, there was no written record of what they discussed.
Ms Greig asked: “So after more than nine year’s service, the decision was taken to do this to the claimant with no process and no appeal being offered, and there is no documentation at all with regard to these meetings?”
Ms Taggart replied: “That’s correct, I didn’t write anything down.”
The witness also told the tribunal that she did not dismiss Ms Gallacher because she was disabled, nor did her age or gender have any bearing on it.
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She said she took the decision because she “had reached a view that the relationship was not recoverable”.
She also claimed that Ms Gallacher had undermined her authority, disrespected her and had been manipulating other members of staff.
The tribunal, before employment judge Shona MacLean, continues.
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