Wirral charity ordered to compensate worker unfairly dismissed after raising concerns

Matthew Gibbs, chief executive of Wirral charity The Carrbridge Centre, was ordered to pay Julie Mayes £2,160 after an employment tribunal found she had been unfairly dismissed. The case matters because the tribunal heard trustees fired her after she raised concerns about Gibbs’s conduct, without carrying out a proper investigation.

Mayes had worked at the charity since January 2022, supporting vulnerable families, children and older people. She said Gibbs shouted and swore, threw boxes and used sexualised language; during one confrontation, he allegedly screamed “I am the CEO” in her face. The tribunal heard she was dismissed after trustees received an anonymous report that she had criticised him at a community meeting.