BARRHEAD Travel founder Bill Munro said he felt “vindicated” after a tribunal found he was unfairly dismissed but did not award compensation.

Mr Munro left the business in November 2018 – just nine months after selling up to US travel giants Travel Leaders Group (TLG) on February 6 that year.

The 75-year-old, who initially stayed on as chairman after the buyout, pursued an employment tribunal against his former firm amid claims his dismissal process was a “sham”.

His position as chairman was made redundant more than a month after he was offered a 25-hours-a-month contract to carry out “special projects” with no continuity of service.

Employment judge Lucy Wiseman said that an offer of alternative employment to Mr Munro on “unreasonable terms” and a flawed appeal process “rendered the dismissal of the claimant unfair”.

Mr Munro took his case to the tribunal, hoping to be reinstated as Barrhead chairman and insisting during the tribunal that he “was not here for the money”.

But it was ruled “not practicable” after Ms Wiseman took into account a breakdown in the relationship between Mr Munro and TLG management.

While he was not awarded compensation, he will be paid £2,754 “in respect of the balance of the payment of notice” on top of a redundancy package of £15,240, which has already been transferred.

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Mr Munro, who started Barrhead Travel in 1975 with one shop and four members of staff, said there may be further legal action in the future

“This has been a harrowing, emotional and stressful time,” he said. “And my reputation was brought into question… I am delighted the tribunal has vindicated me.

“I have had to endure the ordeal of having my life’s achievements being traduced in public.”

The former executive, who grew Barrhead Travel to become one of the UK’s largest independent travel agencies with more than 70 stores employing 1,000 workers, added: “In my career I have been awarded three lifetime achievement awards – two in the UK travel industry and a third from the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. These mean the world to me.”

A findings of fact statement from the tribunal said that TLG had offered to have him remain in an ambassadorial role of chairman and founder while carrying out a “special projects” role for it in the UK.

But the tribunal heard that TLG chief executive Ninan Chacko had become “alarmed” that Mr Munro was averaging seven hours a day, which “exceeded what had been expected” and had focused “almost entirely” on Barrhead Travel activities.

Mr Munro said a subsequent 25-hours-a-month contract offered in May left him with “quite a lump in my throat” when it stated there would be no period of continuous employment.

By July he had been made redundant as chairman of Barrhead Travel, and received a payment of £15,240 while being offered work on special projects on a consultancy basis.

Mr Munro appealed, saying he found it impossible to continue with special projects while at home, and argued he still had something to contribute to Barrhead Travel.

The tribunal findings of fact said that, after a discussion, Mr Chacko referred to Mr Munro as having been “disruptive” and the appeal was rejected.

Ms Wiseman said it was clear that Mr Munro found it very difficult to step away from Barrhead Travel.

She could not accept that his dismissal was predetermined but said that the offer of alternative employment was “unreasonable” because it omitted continuity of service.

She said there was a “flaw” in the appeal procedure in which an executive had “accepted at face value” what Mr Chacko had told him about Mr Munro being disruptive and allowed this to influence his decision.

But she felt that the reason for Mr Munro not accepting the new contract was that he had lost trust in Mr Chacko and others in the organisation.

Barrhead Travel declined to comment.