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Sikh granthi once again in Leeds
tribunal battle
WSN Network
 A SIKH priest
who successfully sued his
Leeds gurdwara
for £17,000 in unpaid wages, has launched a second case – for unfair
dismissal.
Gurbax Singh
claims he was unfairly sacked from his post at the Ramgarhia
Gurdwara in
Chapeltown Road,
Sheepscar, just months after the first tribunal.
The board
running the gurdwara say Mr Singh was continuing to work for money
at other gurdwara while claiming sick pay.
At the first
tribunal last May, Mr Singh was awarded more than £17,000 for being
underpaid. He still has not received that money.
Enforcement
proceedings issued by the county court are currently in place,
ordering the board to pay up. A second tribunal held in
Leeds, heard
that Mr Singh was signed off by a doctor for work-related stress
last summer.
The board claim
that Mr Singh continued to carry out his duties at other Sikh
gurdwaras while claiming sick pay.
Solicitor Paul
Wilson, for Mr Singh, told the tribunal: "A letter from (Mr Singh's)
doctor advised Mr Singh to help with his recovery, to go and do some
voluntary work. If he went (to a gurdwara) while on sick leave and
carried out voluntary work on the advice of his doctor, he could not
possibly be cheating anyone."
The tribunal
heard from witness Shrinder Kahr Chana who said she saw money being
handed over to Mr Singh at a private function where he had given a
reading and prayers while on sick pay.
But Mr Wilson
said: "Mr Singh gave that £59 to a donation for a gurdwara in
India."
Harkadas Wassan,
a member of the gurdwara who was also acting on behalf of the
Ramgarhia Board at the tribunal, told how he went to see Mr Singh.
He said: "I
cautioned Mr Singh that he had been seen doing duties and accepting
cash offerings from various sources while on sick pay. I said he has
been committing benefit fraud and cheating the law."
The tribunal
heard that it was an independent disciplinary committee which took
the decision to dismiss Mr Singh.
But none of
those members were called by the board to give evidence at the
tribunal over why they took that decision.
Employment
chairman John Hepworth urged the board to produce a member on the
second day of the tribunal, stating: "It is vital that someone from
that disciplinary committee needs to give evidence (in order for us)
to make a fair decision."
23
July, 2008
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