In light of recent news, I'm unlocking this topic to update it.
From
the guardian:
'Trolley dash' railwayman withdraws unfair dismissal claim
A railway worker who claimed he was sacked for removing a shopping trolley from the track has withdrawn his claim of unfair dismissal.
Ian Faletto alleged he was sacked after 27 years of service by South West Trains for removing the trolley at Lymington railway station in Hampshire, where he was ticket office clerk, in March. Many local people supported his campaign to get his job back and the New Forest MP▸ , Desmond Swayne, handed a 8,400-strong petition to parliament in support of the award-winning worker.
But after he was presented with new evidence, his counsel advised him to drop his claim, prompting a strongly-worded statement from SWT▸ . It described the allegations by Faletto as "fictitious, Walter Mitty-style claims" and the company stressed he was not paid off.
It said it was angry about the trolley claim, that Faletto's action in stepping on to tracks were "foolhardy", and it was "doubly upsetting that many well-meaning people in the community were so misled".
Faletto had alleged he contacted the signalman to turn off the power and then removed the trolley to prevent an accident. Speaking outside the employment tribunal building in Southampton, the 50-year-old, from Totton, Hampshire, maintained that the trolley was on the railway track. "The way they have treated me after 27 years' momentous service is very disappointing. It's very difficult to fight such a large company. They have basically said they have other evidence and I have been strongly advised by my counsel to withdraw."
The director of SWT, Jake Kelly, said: "We are pleased that Mr Faletto has finally withdrawn his case, which proves definitively that there was never any substance to the claims he made. However, we remain angry at the way these fictitious, Walter Mitty-style claims were so quickly reported as fact. It is also doubly upsetting that many well-meaning people in community were so misled.
"This was a matter of principle and integrity and we were fully prepared to outline the truth to the employment tribunal. We are confident that they had heard all of the evidence, they would have found in our favour. For the avoidance of doubt, we have made no payment to settle this case and nor have we ever considered doing so.
"This case involved a serious breach of safety. The fact is that there is no evidence to show that there was a trolley on the track, as Mr Faletto claimed, and the safety of our passengers was not compromised at any point. The only safety risk was caused by Mr Faletto's foolhardy actions in knowingly stepping down on to an area of live track for no justifiable reason.
"No 'trolley' incident was recorded in the station log or reported to management at the time - or even when Mr Faletto was first questioned by management. It is very sad that an individual who was recognised by the railway has acted in this way."
Moderator note: Comment is welcome, but please consider the earlier requests about speculation and judgement of the parties involved. As the tribunal is now not going ahead it is highly unlikely that we will ever know the precise chain of events or exactly what evidence was to be presented by both parties.
Click on the map to explore geographics
