A FORMER worker at tobacco machinery manufacturer Molins has won just over £9,000 compensation for unfair dismissal.

Dossie Forbes, 63, claimed he was unfairly dismissed from the Saunderton company, based on the selection procedure which decided who would face redundancy.

The Reading tribunal upheld his claim on April 30.

Mr Forbes, who lives out of the area, worked as a miller at the Saunderton company for six years. He was given compulsory redundancy as part of the 280 job losses announced by the firm last October.

The award made to Mr Forbes reflected the losses in pension he would have incurred and loss in wages.

His decision to go to a tribunal was supported by the Amalgamated Engineering & Electrical Union (AEEU).

Ray Dillon, district secretary of the AEEU confirmed he had represented Mr Forbes on behalf of the AEEU.

Mr Dillon said: "It does show that employers have to use proper objective criteria and they need to consult with the individual, which they did not do in this case."

Mr Forbes, who now has another job, declined to comment.

Mike Freeman, personnel manager at Molins, Saunderton, also declined to comment.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.