Recruitment giant the PSD Group has fought a lengthy and unsuccessful battle to overturn an employment tribunal decision in favour of a former employee, who has set up a website chronicling the struggle.

Recruitment consultant Faris Wahab, of Hove, successfully claimed against the company for unlawful deduction of wages after he took unpaid leave on 15 March 1999.

PSD, which had persuaded Wahab to take the leave rather than resign, dismissed him on 30 March, the day before he was due to receive his pay and bonuses.

The original employment tribunal in June 1999 ordered PSD to pay Wahab more than £7,400 in unpaid bonuses. The tribunal heard that PSD charged Wahab with gross misconduct, because he revealed to a colleague over a drink that he was intending to set up his own recruitment firm in breach of company regulations.

But the tribunal believed Wahab’s claims that PSD senior management ordered his colleague to have a drink with him, then later made up the story about his moonlighting in order to sack him.

Wahab, who has since started his own business, said PSD offered new contracts to its employees in November 1998 that were designed to prevent people leaving the company, at a time when it was experiencing internal upheaval and high staff turnover.

Wahab, whose website can be found at www.psdgroup-thetruth.com, told Professional Recruiter: ‘I stood up to them trying to frame me, even though there were many people working against me.’

PSD did not send a legal team to the first tribunal, then brought two further appeals which were rejected. The final appeal, in March this year, ordered PSD to pay Wahab his salary and car allowance but overturned the earlier decision that he should receive the bonuses from the company. No one from PSD was available for comment at press time.