A Siemens-owned company has successfully defended itself against accusations of retaliation, after an employment tribunal ruled that an engineer’s contract wasn’t renewed due to performance issues, not his whistleblowing over the mishandling of military data.
Performance, Not Whistleblowing, the Real Issue
In a ruling handed down this week, Employment Judge Dilbaag Bansal concluded that Industrial Turbine Co. was justified in not renewing Robert Plauszewski’s contract, stating that the decision was based on his inadequate work performance, not on his concerns about the transfer of sensitive military data.
Plauszewski, a design engineer hired in August 2022 to create 3D models and engineering drawings for the gas turbine company’s Warwick site in the U.K., had made several mistakes in his work. These errors, the tribunal found, led to complaints about his performance, which began just weeks into his employment.
Whistleblower Claims Fall Short
Plauszewski had argued that his firing was retaliation for his whistleblowing during a meeting with export control officers. He had raised concerns about classified military data being transferred through Microsoft Teams, which he feared could violate legal requirements or even constitute a criminal act.
