A former north-east fire chief who claims he was constructively dismissed insisted yesterday he did not quit because his senior status was being snubbed.
David Dalziel, who was chief fire officer at Grampian Fire and Rescue Service for eight years, not only missed out on the same job when the single fire service was rolled out earlier this year, but also the deputy and assistant roles.
He claims he was discriminated against because of his age, and that he was constructively dismissed from the service he dedicated 44 years to.
But yesterday it was suggested he had “jumped prematurely” out of frustration that his senior status was not being recognised in the single service structure, which the 62-year-old denied.
The employment tribunal in Aberdeen previously heard that Mr Dalziel, of Westhill, felt humiliated about missing out on the top posts but, after discussions with newly appointed chief fire officer Alasdair Hay – whom he claims told him he wanted him to be his deputy – began considering taking on a strategic operations project.
Yesterday the panel heard that Mr Dalziel began to feel “undermined” when he found out that if he took on one of the projects, he would have to report to one of the assistant chiefs, whom he outranked.
He added: “I saw that as the further diminishment of my place in the organisation.”
But Marie Macdonald, representing the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, suggested he had “jumped prematurely”, adding: “If you didn’t have to report to a director (an assistant chief fire officer) you would have stayed.
“Is it then a question of status?”
Mr Dalziel – who now does charity work at the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen and with Tillydrone Vision – said: “It’s not about status, it’s about feeling valued.
“I felt my self-worth had gone and my confidence, I felt undervalued.
“I felt increasingly not worthy and that there wasn’t a place for me in the new service.
“I do fairly menial work with the charities so status doesn’t mean anything – it’s about self-worth.”
The tribunal also heard yesterday that Mr Dalziel’s score-sheets from his interview contained very few notes, apart from those referring to his age and that he intended to do another “two or three” years service.
The hearing continues.