Stressed mental health worker wins £2k in compensation

Apr 13 2008 By Steve Dinneen

Stressed Worker Wins £2k

A MENTAL health worker has won £2000 compensation after bosses risked her OWN mental well-being.

Marion Mitchell was forced to quit her job with tax payer funded charity Scottish Association For Mental Health after a row about expenses.

The 49-year-old - who helped mentally ill people with employment problems - won her unfair dismissal claim after representing herself.

Marion said: "SAMH are a mental health charity yet they strained mine.

"Due to a ridiculous request for me to change the way I work - which they admitted was wrong - I was left with financial troubles and very stressed."

Marion's problems began when SAMH opened a new office in Glasgow's Kinning Park.

She worked from home in the city's Tollcross but was told to claim travel expenses as though going from the office.

She refused because her car insurance would not cover her.

SAMH promised to sort it out but they withheld four months' claims worth more than £700 and would not let Marion claim for another three months.

It took six months before they admitted they were wrong - but Marion had been forced to leave because she was so out of pocket.

She said: "I had no idea what the new contract entailed and nobody would explain.

"All my requests for help fell on deaf ears. I didn't know where to turn - they brought me to tears as I was so frustrated.

"I didn't want to leave but I couldn't afford to go on working without the expenses."

Last year SAMH received most of their £21.65million funding from the public purse.

They said: "We don't comment on individual cases."

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