A former Balfour Beatty employee has been given the go-ahead by a judge to press a claim of up to £300,000 for unfair dismissal under the Whistleblowers Act

Alan Dransfield worked as a project manager for the contractor from March 2005 but was made redundant in June 2009. He said he was first told of the redundancy in January 2009, just two months after he reported a series of health and safety breaches made by the firm.

Dransfield said he appealed on the grounds of unfair dismissal and was granted leave until June 2009, when he was formally laid off.

Now he is claiming unfair dismissal under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, or Whistleblowers Act. A case management discussion was heard on 27 October, where Dransfield was given the go-ahead for his claim.

Under the act, damages are unlimited, but are usually calculated according to loss of earnings. Dransfield, who is 59, said he had calculated a loss of £300,000, as he feared he would be unable to find work before the age of 65.

A spokesperson for Balfour Beatty said: “Balfour Beatty takes whistleblowing cases very seriously and investigates each one following the processes we have in place.”

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