Millions in compensation for unfair dismissal awarded to delegate

The trade union representative is known in Finansforbundet for his enthusiasm and efforts that have benefitted colleagues through his many years as an active union worker. 

“I never could stand injustice. I was willing to fight for my colleagues, I would never give in.”

His dedication wasn’t received well by his director.

In his role as trade union representative, he led cases for colleagues who had been unfairly deprived of benefits, had worked too much for several years or had collapsed under stress.

“The director was incapable of distinguishing between me as a person and my role as a delegate. He started going at me, harassing me in various ways,” says the former trade union representative, who, due to the settlement and out of regard for his former colleagues, may not reveal further details about how.

Case by case

He liked his job very much, but also saw that many of the members whom he represented as union representative had serious problems at work:

“I was handling seven or eight cases for colleagues and became increasingly unpopular with the director”.

It culminated in a long process in which the workplace tried to use various arguments to dismiss the trade union representative.
“The support I got from Finansforbundet back then was already amazing. Although no one wants a process where a dismissal turns into an instant dismissal – whether or not you are a trade union representative – it was good knowing that I always had that support.”

He gradually got worse, and it didn’t stop after he had lost his job:

“I was miserable. About my own situation, but also about the fact that the culture that existed in the workplace had been allowed to continue with no questions asked, without a trade union representative to react to the management,” he says.

“It is important for me to also express my gratitude to other trade union representatives and Finansforbundet. When you end up in a situation like mine, it is crucial that you feel others standing by you.”
One of those who did was lawyer Christina Nøhr Lørrits:

“For periods, I was drowning her in email. I had a million things to discuss with her, and she lifted me up and made me believe that it would all work out nicely in the end," he says.

A new start

When it ended with a settlement offer instead of industrial arbitration, after the employer had involved several lawyers in the case, he was able to restart his life:

“Until then, I was under constant pressure, and so many questions were left unanswered. My strength has returned.” 

Finansforbundet's lawyer Christina Nøhr Lørrits says that she is satisfied with the outcome:

"The case shows that it generally takes a lot to dismiss a union representative – especially when there is no evidence to support the allegations. Finansforbundet always stands ready to fight for its delegates and to see it through when evidence exists."