In a perplexing work-place situation, a man decided to sue his employment company for not giving him a raise, despite the fact that he’d been on a 15-year sick leave. Ian Clifford is an employee at IBM, but has been ‘medically retired’ since 2013 (as per his LinkedIn profile).

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Unfortunately, though, Clifford was unhappy with the fact that his remuneration hadn’t increased in the past decade.

Mr. Clifford reportedly first went on sick leave in 2008. But in 2013, he raised a grievance about not receiving a pay rise in the last five years. This led to a compromise agreement between him and IBM where he was put on the company’s disability plan.

According to IBM’s health plan, an employee has the right to earn three-quarters of their agreed earnings. Which is why Clifford has received an annual payment of £54,028 (₹55 Lakh) and will keep doing so until he’s 65.

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But, Ian decided to take legal action and sue his company for not giving him a raise in the last 10 years. He made claims of this being a case of disability discrimination. He also said that since his remuneration hasn’t increased since 2013, it’s an unfit amount for the level of inflation of present day.

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Unfortunately for him, the employment tribunal has dismissed his claims, and said that his payment is substantial and favourable. According to them, “Even if the value of the £50,000 a year halved over 30 years, it is still a very substantial benefit.”

The internet seems to have caught wind of this interesting scenario, and here’s what they’re saying:

What do you think about this unusual situation?