Former Saint-Gobain sales director loses unfair dismissal claim

A former Saint-Gobain sales director has lost his unfair dismissal claim after he was fired following allegations of sexual harassment.

Gary Postle was dismissed for gross misconduct in May 2025 after nearly 30 years with materials business Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Ltd.

Employment Judge M Butler found that the company had conducted a thorough investigation into the allegations and it had acted reasonably in dismissing him.

The allegations, upheld through the company’s disciplinary and appeal processes, included asking a junior female colleague whether “the collar matched the cuffs” after commenting on her hair.

The judge said the remark, made during a Microsoft Teams training session in June 2024, referred to the woman’s pubic hair and was something a reasonable employer would consider gross misconduct on its own.

Postle also invited the colleague to his caravan or a nearby beach in Lincolnshire, and said he had been turned down by better women after she declined a dinner invitation, the tribunal heard.

He disputed the allegations, either denying them or saying his comments had been taken out of context. He argued that the investigation was flawed, his dismissal was too harsh and his long service and clean disciplinary record had not been considered.

The judge rejected those arguments and said Postle’s long service and clean record had been considered at his hearing. The person who decided to dismiss him also took account of his seniority and the distress he believed Postle’s actions had caused a more junior colleague, the judge added.

The company initially upheld seven of 11 allegations. At an internal appeal, it overturned findings concerning an alleged attempt to kiss the colleague’s hand and an alleged remark involving surgical gloves during a trip to France.

But it upheld the decision to dismiss Postle based on the remaining allegations.

The judge said the appeal involved careful consideration and further investigation, rather than simply endorsing the original decision.

The case was heard in Nottingham on 15-16 July 2026, with the written judgement dated 25 September.

At the tribunal hearing, a former colleague claimed that he, rather than Postle, had made the “collar and cuffs” comment.

The judge found his evidence “totally unreliable”, noting that three people on the Teams call had identified Postle as the speaker.

The colleague had been interviewed five times before the tribunal hearing without claiming that he had made the remark, the judge added.