Salesman gets €70k after being ‘frozen out’ of job

A salesman has been awarded €70,000 after being "frozen out" of his job by his employer.

Derek Beglan had taken his case to the Employment Appeals Tribunal alleging constructive dismissal by Scanomat Ireland Ltd, of Maple House, Rosemount Business Park, Ballycoolin Rd, Co Dublin. It is engaged in coffee dispensing equipment and coffee sales.

Mr Beglan had worked for the company since 1999 and his employment ended in March 2012. His job entailed sales, working on new deals at head office, dealing with key customers, and managing the company’s van drivers.

Problems arose in 2009 when his managing director was absent due to illness and subsequently died in 2010. Mr Beglan then began to suffer from work-related stress.

The new managing director, Corrado Morelli Carroll, son of his old boss, was appointed in 2011 and “everything began to change”, Mr Beglan told the tribunal.

He removed Mr Beglan’s responsibility for the van drivers without explanation. The new managing director was unhappy with Mr Beglan’s sales figures and said they were not high enough for the salary he was being paid. He was later presented with new targets, which meant he would have to increase sales by €1,250 per day.

Mr Beglan was upset as he knew the targets were not achievable.

Mr Morelli Carroll told the tribunal there had been a need for an increase in sales. He only became aware in January 2012 that the salesman had a grievance, and only discovered in March that Mr Beglan had been suffering from work-related stress.

When he submitted his resignation on March 13, he was asked to reconsider, but it was formally accepted on March 23.

The tribunal found that Scanomat Ireland appeared to have set unrealistic targets for Mr Beglan “which by any standards would be impossible to achieve”.

He was awarded €70,000 under the Unfair Dismissals Acts.