Nestle ordered to pay ₹27 lakh to employee sacked for vaping in toilet and triggering factory shutdown
A factory worker dismissed Nestlé after allegedly triggering a production shutdown vaping in the washroom has been awarded £22,000 (around ₹27 lakh) an employment tribunal in the UK.The Nestle factory worker was fired for vaping in the toilet during his shift (Representational image)Incident triggered factory shutdownLuke Billings, a technical operator at the company’s coffee facility in Tutbury, set off a fire alarm on October 11, 2023, leading to a full evacuation and halting production.“All staff had to be evacuated. Production ceased until it was deemed safe to return. As a consequence there was disruption and lost production,” the tribunal was told, according to a Daily Mail report.An internal investigation, including CCTV review, concluded the alarm was triggered vaping in a disabled toilet — an act strictly prohibited on site.Employee denied vaping during probeWhen confronted the factory management, Billings initially denied vaping. The panel noted: “The Claimant maintained his position that he was not vaping in the toilets on the day in question.”“He said he did not vape so it could not be him.”During further questioning, he admitted to vaping occasionally — but “only at weekends and only at home.” He never admitted to vaping in the toilet.(Also read:
