Ian Clifford is dying from leukemia. And in court against his employer IBM. He demands a higher salary from him – without working.
London – Ian Clifford is terminally ill. He will very likely not be able to work another day in his life. The 50-year-old continues to be paid by his employer, the US IT company IBM, despite being on sick leave for a decade and a half. But that’s not enough for him. With a lawsuit against the group, which has annual sales in the tens of billions, the father of the family failed, as did the English newspapers, among others TheTelegraph and TheMirror to report.
Clifford accuses his employer of discriminating against him because of his disability. He was diagnosed with stage four leukemia in 2012 after being classified as unfit for work four years earlier for mental health reasons.
Employee with leukemia sues IBM: salary has not been adjusted since 2013
His current annual salary is 54,028 pounds, which is equivalent to just over 62,000 euros. This sum is said to have been guaranteed to him until his 65th birthday. In total, he would collect more than 1.5 million pounds, so more than 1.7 million euros. But last year he filed a lawsuit against IBM because his salary had not been adjusted since 2013.
During his tenure at IBM, his annual salary is reported to have been £72,037, but sick leave reduced it by 25 percent. Officially, Clifford is still an IBM employee, but without “the obligation to work.”
Terminally ill IBM employee: joined the group in 2003 – he has not been able to work since 2008
According to his LinkedIn profile, he joined IBM in March 2003, working as a systems architect and commercial bid manager in the offices in Staines and Feltham – which is near London and in a district of the British capital. From September 2010 he began distance learning at Aston Business School to pursue his Masters in Finance & Budgeting.
In addition, Clifford is committed to “the well-being and integration of students”. He wants to “help all students reach their potential, regardless of their background and circumstances,” says his LinkedIn profile.
Lawsuit against IBM: Employee with cancer wants more money because of inflation
At least his own son is at stake for him in the lawsuit against IBM. He’s currently going to university. That’s why he wants to support him financially as much as possible. Just not sure how much longer he can do that. Because of his serious illness, “it is very unrealistic” that he would live to see his 65th birthday. “I’ve been on chemotherapy for many years and I feel extremely uncomfortable,” he said telegraph clifford
He complains that the agreed salary is not enough, and that it is not just inflation that has a negative effect: “People may think, yes, that’s generous. But firstly, these amounts are gross and are not taxed. I pay social security contributions on it.”
Video: IBM replaces a third of jobs with AI – These jobs are affected
Judge decisively rejects lawsuit against IBM: Employee with leukemia not discriminated against
However, the court in Reading between London and Oxford did not even begin to follow his reasoning. A judge is said to have classified the agreement with IBM as “preferential treatment”, which brings him a “very significant advantage”. Clifford countered: “The whole point of the plan was to provide security for workers who couldn’t work. But that will not be achieved if payments are frozen forever.”
However, Judge Paul Housego emphasized that only active employees could get salary increases. The claim that Clifford would be discriminated against because of his illness compared to colleagues who continue to work at IBM, “is not tenable since only people with disabilities are covered by this plan (Salary transfers without the obligation to work, d. editor) can benefit. It is not disability discrimination that this plan is not even more generous.”
In the eyes of the lawyer, it would still be “a very great achievement” if the value of the salary “halved over the course of 30 years”. According to the reports, Clifford has already announced that he will appeal the verdict.
Terminally ill employee wants more money from IBM: £30,000 spent on lawsuit
According to his own statements, he is said to have already spent 30,000 pounds – around 34,500 euros – to drag IBM to the dock. The group had previously made him two offers.
The agreement he is now attacking was already the result of a complaint. After Clifford protested in 2013 that he had not received a wage increase or vacation pay since his incapacity to work was determined, both sides had reached the compromise that has now been in place for ten years.
Another person cured of HIV disease – but it is a special case. In Germany, a good 240,000 people died of cancer in 2023. (mg)
#raise #sick #man #sues #company #fails