Rahim, a senior official at Associated British Ports (ABP), has successfully challenged his dismissal in an employment tribunal. The ruling follows an incident where Rahim's manager, Ben Hodgkin, overheard him making disparaging remarks about leadership outside the company's central London office.
Managing £20 million to £150 million in capital projects
Sahir Rahim held a high-stakes position at Associated British Ports (ABP), overseeing projects with capital expenditures ranging from £20 million to £150 million. The scale of his responsibility underscores the professional gravity of the dispute, which centered on a breakdown in the relationship between Rahim and his line manager, Ben Hodgkin.
The tension between Rahim and Hodgkin appears to have been rooted in a dispute over internal procedures. According to the tribunal findings, Rahim raised an "internal governance issue" in March 2023, which he claims led to a subsequent reduction in his professional responsibilities and the imposition of unrealistic deadlines.. this context suggests that the eventual outburst was not an isolated event but the culmination of months of mounting workplace stress.
The July 5 outburst outside the London headquarters
On July 5, 2023, a verbal confrontation occurred outside the main entrance of the ABP building in cental London. Rahim was overheard by Hodgkin while speaking to a junior colleague, Daniel Landi, using profanity to describe the manager and the company's asset team.
The tribunal heard that Rahim made disparaging remarks,including questioning Hodgkin's knowledge of contracts . While the tribunal acknowledged that Rahim's conduct was "inappropriate ," the legal focus shifted from his behavior to how ABP managed the fallout. The company eventually moved to dismiss Rahim, citing a policy that the relationship had "broken down beyond repair."
A contractual breach regarding withheld sick pay
The core of the legal victory for Rahim rested on the company's decision to withhold contractual sick pay. Following his dismissal warning, Rahim went on a long period of sick leave in late July 2023 due to work-related stress,but ABP only provided statutory sick pay until October 2023.
As the report states, ABP attempted to justify this by citing an employment clause that allowed them to withhold sick pay during a disciplinary process. The company argued that Rahim's appeal against his final written warning was part of that ongoing process. However, the tribunal ruled that this was a breach of contract, determining that the company was obligated to pay his contractual wages during his period of illness.
The unanswered questions regarding the March 2023 governance claim
Despite the tribunal's ruling, several aspects of the initial dispute remain unaddressed by the available evidence. It is still unclear if the "internal governance issue" Rahim raised in March 2023 was ever properly investigated by ABP's leadership or if it was a legitimate catalyst for the subsequent disciplinary actions.
Furthermore , the source does not clarify whether ABP intends to appeal the tribunal's decision regarding the withheld wages. there also remains no clarity on whether the company has addressed the underlying culture of stress that Rahim claimed led to his medical leave.
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