Mumbai, May 15: In a time when employees are navigating recession and layoff fears, an IBM employee who has been on sick leave for 15 years tried to sue the tech giant for giving him a salary hike. The man has claimed that he has been a victim of "disability discrimination". The IT worker, identified as Ian Clifford, has been on leave since 2008, and according to his LinkedIn profile, he’s been ‘medically retired’ since 2013.

As per the report published by the Telegraph, Clifford went on sick leave for the first time in September 2008 and remained so until 2013, when he filed a grievance. The company then put him on a disability plan rather than firing him. In February 2022, he took IBM to an employment tribunal on claims of disability discrimination. Working as a Senior IT worker in the company's office in the UK, Clifford argued that his employer is 'discriminating' against him as he did not get a pay rise in the last 15 years. Infosys Amps Up Reward Routine by Allotting Equity Shares As Stock Options to Top-Performing Employees Under Two Schemes.

According to the IBM health plan, the IT specialist receives more than 54,000 pounds a year and is guaranteed to receive the salary until he is 65. He argued in court that his salary would wither over time with inflation.  “The point of the plan was to give security to employees not able to work - that was not achieved if payments were forever frozen,” he told Tribunal. IBM Quantum-Safe Tech: Tech Major Introduces End-to-End Quantum-Safe Technology To Safeguard Enterprise, Government Key Data.

However, things did not work out as he hoped so. The employment tribunal ended up dismissing his claims, with a judge telling him he had been given a “very substantial benefit” and “favourable treatment”. Notably, IBM's health plan has been in force for the past 30 years. Even if the value of the ã50,000 a year halved over 30 years, it is still a very substantial benefit, the judge said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 15, 2023 03:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).