No Common Law Action for Unfair Dismissal

Extract

In view of the restrictions inherent in the law on unfair dismissal, in relation to both the parameters of making a claim and the maximum amount of damages, it is not surprising that in Johnson v. Unisys Ltd. [2001] 2 W.L.R. 1076 the House of Lords was confronted with an attempt to circumvent the statutory system. Mr. Johnson was summarily dismissed in circumstances which were held to amount to an unfair dismissal, and received the maximum amount of damages. Unfortunately for Mr. Johnson, who had been diagnosed with a stress-related illness before, he suffered a mental breakdown, and has since been unable to find employment. He claimed that the manner of his dismissal amounted to a breach of the implied duty of mutual trust and confidence; this argument was rejected by the judge at first instance, the Court of Appeal ([1999] I.C.R. 809) and, on different grounds, the House of Lords.