Employment Tribunal Rules in Favor of Swimming Coaches in Unfair Dismissal Case

An employment tribunal has determined that two swimming coaches experienced unfair dismissal and were targets of “unfounded” remarks regarding safeguarding issues. Amanda Booth and Fabian Whitbread, coaches at the City of Oxford Swimming Club, faced suspension in April 2021 following their signing of a letter addressed to members that criticized the club’s management committee. The employment tribunal, convened in Reading, ruled in favor of the two individuals, stating that there was “no real concern” regarding potential harm to any young swimmers. The club has been approached for a statement. During the tribunal, which took place earlier this year, evidence was presented concerning internal disputes at the club, located at Blackbird Leys in Oxford, throughout the Covid lockdowns, with coaches asserting an “erosion” of their responsibilities. According to the coaches, the club’s committee had interfered with squad-related matters, the onboarding of new coaches, and leave arrangements. This situation culminated in the coaches drafting a letter to members on 5 March 2021, aiming to underscore “the damage their actions were causing to the club, the swimmers, and the coaching staff”. The tribunal was informed that the coaching team perceived the committee’s conduct as harassment, which they described as “undermining our position as professionals”. The ruling determined that the coaches had faced accusations of “false and unfounded” safeguarding issues during a special general meeting held on 1 April. The tribunal’s finding stated: “There was no real concern about harm to any children by anyone on the committee yet the committee chose to gaslight the coaches during the [special general meeting] SGM by making enigmatic references to safeguarding concerns. “For the sake of clarity, there were never any safeguarding concerns around any of the coaches,”. The committee stated that the coaches’ suspension resulted from a breach of GDPR, specifically unauthorized access to members’ private information when dispatching the letter. The tribunal concluded that the coaches were “acting in the interests of the wider membership” when they made these disclosures. It also noted that the new committee had “wanted to exert its authority,” and the circumstances were “further confused” by the context of pandemic-related working restrictions. The two individuals were part of a group of five coaches who collectively resigned en mass in April 2021. Both Ms Booth, possessing 40 years of coaching experience, and Mr Fairbarn, were determined to have been unfairly dismissed. In a statement released via the British Swimming Coaches Association (BASC), Ms Booth commented that the judgment “vindicates” the coaches implicated. She further stated, “I hope this gives other coaches the inspiration and courage to stand up and fight for justice,”. A hearing to determine the remedy is scheduled for 9-10 December at the Reading Tribunal Hearing Centre. For updates, BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight can be followed on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.