The Industrial Court has dismissed a claim brought by former Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank (ECAB) employee Edzel Joseph, ruling that his termination after 27 years of service was justified on the grounds of gross misconduct. According to Antigua News Room, Joseph was denied both compensation and retirement contributions following the court's decision.
Joseph, who served as an Attendant in the bank's Facilities Department, was dismissed in September 2018 after he was found in possession of a CCTV sign that had been reported missing from the bank. He maintained that the sign had been discarded and that he had retrieved it from a dump site.
The court, however, found evidence suggesting Joseph had altered the sign in order to support his account of events. That finding proved central to the ruling against him.
The court also rejected Joseph's claim of procedural unfairness, determining that dismissal would have been the inevitable outcome even if a formal disciplinary hearing had been conducted. It further noted that unauthorised possession of company property constitutes a serious breach of trust, particularly within the banking sector.
Joseph had previously received warnings related to misconduct. Taking that record into account, the court concluded that the dismissal was neither harsh nor unfair, and ruled against awarding him any form of compensation or retirement contributions.
