A LONG-serving Chorley Council worker who was unfairly dismissed from his job due to his trade union activities has spoken of his ‘disgust’.

Wayne Andrews, 45, was made redundant in August 2009 from his job as the town’s markets manager after 21 years of service.

In September, an employment tribunal chaired by Judge Diana Kloss, unanimously ruled in favour of Mr Andrews, who also acted as UNISON’s representative to many of the council’s workforce.

However, Chorley Council appealed against the decision, with chief executive Donna Hall saying ‘Mr Andrews was treated in exactly the same way as all other staff’.

That appeal has now been dismissed, with the ruling stating that it had ‘no reasonable prospect of success’.

But the council says it will continue to fight the rulings and is planning another challenge.

To date, the council’s legal costs for the tribunal and appeal already stand at £8,209.

In addition the council has to pay Mr Andrews in excess of £30,000 in compensation and costs as ordered by the court.

In his union involvement, Mr Andrews represented Chorley Council workers on a range of issues including pay, conditions and disciplinary matters.

During his service he had no disciplinary record and his only absence during his employment was when he was called up as a reservist soldier for a six-month tour of Bosnia.

Speaking after hearing the result, Mr Andrews said: “I was very proud of working on Chorley’s markets and was puzzled and surprised when I was made redundant.

“My confidence sank very low as I thought my abilities were being questioned.

“What really disgusted me was the council’s decision to appeal after the judges ruled in my favour.

"This just prolonged my ordeal and added to the cost for council taxpayers.

“I now feel vindicated. I want to put this behind me now and look to the future.”

The original ruling stated that managers at the council decided Mr Andrews ‘should leave their employment because of his trade union activities and used the restructuring process to bring about that result’.