Melton Mowbray: Secretary may sue over moldy cheese claim – judge

A former secretary may take legal action over her claims that she was fined for complaining about being served loose cheese.

Ms M Wright claimed before an employment tribunal that she had been punished for “whistleblowing” and then unfairly dismissed by SFE Chetwode Ltd of Melton Mowbray.

Documents from the December hearing, published Thursday, said he was served two bowls of cheese along with a jacket potato at the site.

But her employers said the cheese was served with pepper – and employment judge Richard Adkinson said it was not possible to determine which was the case from the photographs.

She said she would be allowed to make a claim over the cheese incident, if she first deposited £1,000.

Ms Wright, who joined the firm in June 2023, said she had a complaint about the cheese containers in May 2024 and was told to put the cheese away and “be sensible”.

It alleged that he “deliberately concealed a health and safety risk”.

The SFE told the tribunal that around the same time colleagues began to express “concern” about Miss Wright’s behavior and a meeting was held which did not produce any results.

Ms Wright said she felt her complaints had been “downplayed”.

A further disciplinary hearing followed in July, when the SFE alleged she was “rude and ineffective”, and she was sacked “with immediate effect”.

Ms Wright said she was not allowed a trade union representative at the meeting.

But Mr Adkinson, who noted that Ms Wright had used the AI ​​service ChatGPT to help with her submissions, rejected all her claims of unfair dismissal, while her concerns about the “microbiological safety” of the cheese. They were collectively “dismissed” due to concerns about failed”

She added as an aside that it was clear she “felt genuinely saddened” by her behavior but felt she “didn’t understand whether it was legally justified”.