Lyn ‘won’t get a penny’

A WOM A N who was victimised by her former employer wh i le battl i ng cancer is unlikely to see a penny of her compensation sett lement, her sol icitor claims.

In September, Lyn Ferguson was awarded almost £13,000 in damages from her former employer, The Burns Bar in Forfar.

An industrial tribunal ruled the former barmaid, originally from Dundee, was unfairly treated and later dismissed by landlady Iris Edgar.

Now, however, Lyn’s solicitor has claimed she will probably never receive the cash because the name on the lease has been changed, meaning the legal ruling is effectively void as it was made against a different firm.

MML Solicitors allege this was a deliberate ploy by the bar owners to avoid paying the 59-year-old the compensation she is owed.

Lyn said: “This is really disappointing. It’s not the money – I’m not overly bothered about that, but it’s the principle.

“I also don’t want people thinking I have walked away with thousands of pounds when I’m not going to get a penny.

“I have suffered so much and my former employees have walked away Scot-free.”

The judgment of the Employment Tribunals (Scotland) ruled that Lyn was unfairly dismissed by The Burns Bar.

The tribunal ruled she was discriminated against because of her cancer and then victimised for asking for reasonable adjustments to her working hours because of her illness.

Lyn was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin lymphoma in July 2016. Her condition was so serious she brought her wedding forward due to the aggressive nature of the cancer.

Ryan Russell, who represented Lyn on behalf of MML Solicitors, said: “After the judgment was received, we instructed sheriff officers to serve a charge for payment of the full amount owed. They served it on the bar manager. She refused to engage and tell them anything. We also wrote to Iris Edgar who runs the bar – she ignored correspondence.

“After further i nvestigation it appeared the lease had changed hands as a result of the case to avoid paying out any monies.

“The prospects of Lyn getting money are therefore nil. To fabricate and engineer the dismissal of a disabled person recovering from cancer is inexcusable in itself.

“However, the lengths they have now gone to in order to avoid paying the compensation awarded by the tribunal is truly shocking.”

Ms Edgar has been asked to comment.

Lyn Ferguson was awarded £13,000.