Ian Clifford, a senior IT employee at IBM has been ill for the last fifteen years. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has been medically retired' since 2013. Clifford has been absent due to illness since 2008 and filed a lawsuit against his company. He accused IBM of engaging in "disability discrimination" because his pay had not grown over the 15 years he had been out of the workforce.
The IT specialist receives more than 54,000 pounds annually through an IBM health plan, and his pay is secured until age 65.
However, the worker contended that the health plan was "not generous enough" because his pay would eventually reduce to nothing owing to inflation.
Interestingly, Mr. Clifford first took a sick vacation in September 2008, and the circumstances remained unchanged until he filed a grievance in 2013.
In response to his complaint, rather than being fired, IBM provided him with a "compromise agreement" in which he was added to the company's disability plan.
A participant in the plan is entitled to receive 75% of the agreed-upon income until recovery, retirement, or death, whichever occurs first. In his case, the agreed-upon wage was 72, 037 pounds, which meant that starting in 2013, he would receive 54, 028 pounds after the deduction of 25%. Until he turned 65 and was eligible for retirement, the strategy was set in stone for more than 30 years.
But instead, in February 2022, he filed a complaint against IBM with an employment tribunal alleging disability discrimination.
He stated, “The point of the plan was to give security to employees not able to work - that was not achieved if payments were forever frozen.”
Unfortunately for him, his claims were rejected by an employment tribunal, with the judge noting that he had received "favorable treatment" and a "very substantial benefit" in exchange for his testimony.
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