A NATIONAL Trust manager who gave evidence on behalf of a former colleague at an employment tribunal was sacked the next day.

Colin Stracey, of Valley Drive, Kendal, an enterprise manager based at Grasmere, appeared as a witness for Catherine Loxam at a hearing in Carlisle last month.

Mrs Loxam, 36, of The Glebe, Lindale, claims she was constructively dismissed from her post as an enterprise assistant after 13 years with the trust.

She quit her job while in hospital awaiting a back operation and then tried unsuccessfully to withdraw her resignation.

At the resumed hearing, the trust's North West regional director Oliver Maurice said Mr Stracey's dismissal was not related to the case.

"Various things came to my attention during the week of the hearing," he said.

He agreed with solicitor Michael Davies, representing Mrs Loxam, that his secretary had informed Mr Stracey, the day before the hearing, that he was required to attend a 9am meeting in Mr Maurice's office the day after the hearing, without being given the reason for the meeting.

Mr Davies said: "I suggest that is intimidatory, as far as the applicant, Mrs Loxam, and the witness, Mr Stracey, were concerned.

"The timing is evidence of a trait of leaving employees uncertain and worried about their future."

Earlier, the tribunal had been told that Mr Stracey and Mrs Loxam had been accused of bullying by the other person in the office, clerical assistant Veronica Wood, and Mr Maurice had given them verbal warnings about their conduct, following an informal investigation by a personnel officer from the trust's London headquarters.

Witnesses who gave statements that Mrs Wood had been distressed, allegedly because she had been bullied or harassed, had not seen any bullying at first hand and two of them had subsequently retracted their evidence, the hearing was told.

Mrs Loxam and Mr Stracey had not been allowed to produce witnesses in their defence against Mrs Wood's claims and had not been allowed to appeal.

A week later, Mrs Loxam was taken to hospital, where, she told the tribunal, she was in considerable pain prior to her operation, and wrote a letter of resignation.

"I gave it to my mother-in-law to keep while I thought about it.

Unfortunately, she posted it," she said.

She telephoned Mr Maurice, asking to rescind her resignation, and he asked for advice from the trust's personnel department in London and was told there was no obligation to reinstate her.

Mr Maurice told the tribunal he also consulted the trust's enterprise department in London.

"They felt strongly that, because Mr Loxam had resigned, we should take the opportunity to look at restructuring the department," he said.

The tribunal was told that Mrs Wood, who had refused to return to the department to work with Mr Loxam and Mr Stracey, was offered redundancy and accepted.

The tribunal panel reserved its decision, which will be given in writing.

After the hearing, Mr Stracey declined to comment.