A security guard with more than nine years of experience has been awarded £8,320 in compensation after being unfairly dismissed by G4S Secure Solutions. Bakary Jawneh was dismissed after bringing his son to work due to a childcare failure, an act the client perceived as a security breach.
The incident occurred on March 8, 2024, when Mr. Jawneh, having returned from holiday, was let down by his childcare provider shortly before his early morning shift at the University of Southampton. In an effort to resolve the situation, he took his son to work for the entire shift without notifying his employer or the client.
Following a complaint from a staff member about the perceived security breach, Mr. Jawneh was removed from the site. G4S Secure Solutions subsequently offered him alternative shifts, but these were not convenient for his childcare responsibilities, which included school runs. Mr. Jawneh requested unpaid leave to address his situation as a sole carer for his son and asked for postings nearer to Portsmouth to accommodate his family needs.
Months passed without further contact from Mr. Jawneh. In November 2024, the operations contract manager, identified as Mr. Benfield, recorded Mr. Jawneh as having resigned due to "family issues." This decision was reportedly made due to pressure from payroll to resolve the issue of Mr. Jawneh being employed for 42 hours a week without pay. The tribunal determined that Mr. Benfield had assumed Mr. Jawneh had abandoned his job.
In February 2025, Mr. Jawneh contacted Mr. Benfield after seeing a vacancy that would have suited his childcare arrangements. However, he was informed that he would need to be re-screened as a "new starter." Mr. Jawneh expressed his unwillingness to do this, given his nine years of service with the company. Mr. Benfield's response indicated that the lack of contact since Mr. Jawneh's removal from the site left him with no choice but to classify him as a "leaver."
The employment tribunal found it surprising that Mr. Jawneh did not contact G4S between April 2024 and February 2025. Employment Judge James Dawson stated that while an employee failing to contact their employer for an extended period might be seen as their own fault, the employer also bore responsibility. The tribunal found Mr. Jawneh partially contributed to his own dismissal, which reduced his compensation, but ultimately ruled that G4S had unfairly dismissed him. The judge added that Mr. Benfield should have contacted Mr. Jawneh to ascertain his position and intentions.
Mr. Jawneh was awarded £8,320 in compensation, with £5,834 specifically for unfair dismissal. Other claims made by Mr. Jawneh were dismissed by the tribunal.