Miscarriage welder in new appeal

Welder Suzanne Bunning claims work duties caused her miscarriage

A welder who lost a legal battle against her own family after claiming they drove her to resign from their business has launched another appeal.

Suzanne Bunning, 29, lost her original claim for unfair dismissal against Norwich-based G T Bunning.

She claimed they caused her miscarriage by insisting she continue with manual work while pregnant.

On Thursday Ms Bunning claimed the original tribunal did not consider all factors which led to her resignation.

Heavy lifting claim

A decision was reserved by the second tribunal.

The new hearing was told that after discovering she was pregnant, Miss Bunning refused to return to work in the firm's workshop.

She was eventually moved to supposedly lighter duties in the stores, but her legal team claimed the duties included climbing stepladders, heavy lifting and driving fork-lift trucks.

Originally her claims for sexual discrimination and unfair constructive dismissal were turned down by a tribunal but last year part of the sex discrimination verdict was overturned.

Now lawyers claim the original tribunal failed to take into consideration the risks for a pregnant woman working in the stores.

'Happy' at work

They said she was also exposed to fumes from welding and after a 12-hour shift felt exhausted, dizzy and nauseous.

Miss Bunning, who lived in Ely, Cambridgeshire, but has since moved to Llanfyllin, Welshpool, joined the family firm in Gressenhall, near Dereham, in March 1999.

She miscarried on 20 November 2001 and resigned later that month.

The original tribunal heard when she told her father John - the company director - of her health concerns, he told her if she did not turn up at work she would be out of a job.

Ben Collins, representing the company, said the original tribunal had been right to focus on the time of the resignation because in the previous two weeks Miss Bunning had appeared to be happy in her work.