A man explains his decision to sue IBM after spending 15 years on sick leave without receiving a pay rise from the company.
Ian Clifford spent 15 years on sick leave from his job at IBM.
During this time, he faced many health challenges, including a serious diagnosis of stage four leukemia.
Recently, he decided to sue the company because he felt he deserved a pay rise that he had not received for many years.
The man faced serious health challenges for years.
Ian began his sick leave in September 2008. Initially, he took time off due to mental health reasons.
However, in 2012, he was diagnosed with stage four leukemia, which greatly affected his life.
By 2013, he was medically retired. Despite his health struggles, Ian believed he was still entitled to the benefits of his employment.
Ian raised concerns about his pay and benefits.
While on sick leave, Ian raised concerns with IBM.
He claimed that he had not received any pay rise or holiday pay for five years.
In his view, this was unfair, especially as he was still considered an employee.
Ian signed a compromise agreement with IBM that allowed him to remain on their disability plan.
This plan meant that he could earn a percentage of his salary without the obligation to work.
The man decided to sue IBM for unfair treatment.
In February 2022, Ian decided to take legal action against IBM.
He felt that the company was treating him unfairly, especially since he hadn’t seen an increase in his salary since 2013.
Ian argued that the lack of a pay rise made it difficult for him to manage his finances, especially with rising inflation.
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.”
Ian expressed that he was not trying to be greedy but was simply trying to secure a better future for himself and his family.
Man who spent 15 years on sick leave explains lawsuit against IBM for not giving him pay rise
Ian shared that he had to use all his savings to fund his legal case against IBM.
He also mentioned that he was borrowing money on credit cards, putting him in a financially vulnerable position.
His concerns were not just about himself; he wanted to ensure his son would be taken care of, especially as he was preparing to go to university.
In an interview, Ian mentioned, “Your salary affects your debt service, pension, and everything else. It was more for my family.”
He wanted to make sure they would have some financial security, even in his illness.
“People may think, yes, it’s generous, but firstly those amounts are gross not taxed. I do pay national insurance on those amounts.
“I have a son [who is] off to university. Your mortgage doesn’t go down because you are sick.
“I had to use all my savings to bring this case and more and had to borrow money on a credit card… it’s left me financially very vulnerable.”
The tribunal dismissed Ian’s claims against IBM.
Despite his arguments, the employment tribunal dismissed Ian’s claims.
The judge noted that Ian was receiving a substantial benefit from the disability plan.
He pointed out that even if the value of Ian’s annual payments decreased over the years, it was still a significant amount.
Ian acknowledged that some people might still consider his actions greedy.
However, he felt he was entitled to the benefits that came with his employment.
Ian always viewed himself as a loyal employee and was disappointed by the way he was treated.