A PROTESTANT man has been awarded over £77,000 by a Fair Employment Tribunal for religious discrimination and unlawful dismissal by dairy manufacturer, Leckpatrick, following its take over by Golden Vale.
The man had been employed by Leckpatrick for nearly 25 years and was a senior executive when the company was taken over by Golden Vale in 1993.
The post of general manager in the area where he worked was advertised that year and although he applied for the post, his application was not acknowledged and he was not interviewed.
He described it as a "nervous time in the company as he saw other senior Protestant managers removed from the company".
He was offered a year's consultancy, having previously been told that he would be reduced to a technical role with a £12,000 pay cut. He left the company.