Sacked instructor awarded payout

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/surrey/8040173.stm

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A Surrey fitness instructor has been awarded compensation after losing her job for taking her class outside to exercise in the sunshine.

Emese Pomezanski was suspended from her job at de Stafford Sports Centre, in Caterham, on the day of the class and later sacked for gross misconduct.

Her employer, Tandridge Leisure, said she breached health and safety rules, but an employment tribunal disagreed.

Ms Pomezanski, 35, of Hurst Green, was awarded £9,161.76 for loss of earnings.

Speaking about the incident last May, she said: "These were people who regularly came to my exercise classes.

"They all agreed to be outside, in fact they were asking if we could go outside."

She recalled how she took a quick risk assessment before taking her class outside, and deemed there was no danger.

However, in a statement, Tandridge Leisure Ltd said it took its duties to protect its customers very seriously, and any employee who exposed customers "to a significant health and safety risk" was subject to disciplinary action.

Emese Pomezanski said she did not expect to lose her job