IBM employee sues for raise despite 15 years of sick leave

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IBM

EUR 120.80
-0.08%

• IT staff on sick leave for 15 years with over £54,000 on pay
• Appeal to labor court for discrimination based on illness
• Judge dismisses complaint and sees no discrimination

£54,028 paid until retirement

The 50-year-old Ian Glifford, who, according to his LinkedIn profile, studied at King’s College London and at Aston University, took sick leave from IBM for the first time in 2008 for psychological reasons. In 2013, Clifford contracted leukemia, which extended his sick leave and resulted in Glifford now being on sick leave for 15 years. After a compromise agreement in 2013, Glifford was enrolled in IBM’s Sickness and Accident Scheme, which gives him a paycheck equal to 75 percent of his last regular salary until he retires at age 65. In concrete terms, this corresponds to an amount of 54,028 British pounds per year, which corresponds to around 62,570 euros at the end of May.

Discrimination complaint

Despite having a generous agreement with his employer, Glifford still feels discriminated against because of his illness. Last year he filed a lawsuit in a British labor court, accusing his employer of discrimination because of his health conditions. He argues that he is at a disadvantage compared to his peers who are entitled to inflation compensation. “The whole point of the plan was to provide security for workers who couldn’t work,” Glifford said, according to Business Insider. Glifford claims that the fact that its payments are not adjusted for inflation means that this compensation is no longer guaranteed. However, Glifford’s opinion was not shared by Chief Labor Court Judge Paul Housego, who ruled on the charges in March. “It is not discrimination on the basis of disability that the compensation plan is not made even more generous,” Housego said in the ruling published at the end of March. The Labor Court dismissed the lawsuit, arguing that Glifford’s inclusion in the program would give him preferential treatment because, after all, people without disabilities would have to work for their income.

Despite the dismissal of his lawsuit, Glifford is not giving up and has lodged an appeal demanding a 2.5 per cent pay rise, according to an interview with the British Telegraph. According to the Telegraph report, Glifford told the newspaper that he was not “greedy” but that he needed to support his family and fund his son’s studies.

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