Tribunal rejects DO's claim over dismissal

A dispensing optician from Essex who claimed he was wrongly sacked by Specsavers in the wake of a row over ownership of the store at Basildon where he was a director has failed in a bid for job-loss compensation.

Stratford Employment Tribunal has dismissed all the claims by Colin Smith, 45, of Leigh on Sea.

However, it has allowed a claim of unfair dismissal by his wife, Sa-ang, 43, a lab technician, who was also sacked by Specsavers. Now there will have to be a further hearing to decide whether she is entitled to compensation and if so, how much.

The tribunal was told that the sacking of the Smiths came after shares in Basildon Visionplus Ltd were sold to an optometrist.