A Stoke Prior security firm is facing a compensation claim for unfair dismissal by a former employee after failing to convince a Birmingham Employment Tribunal judge that they were not responsible for his dismissal.

P ensioner Michael Collins won the first stage of his claim at a Birmingham Tribunal preliminary hearing against GMS Security Service Ltd of Harris Business Park, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior.

Mr Collins was told he could go ahead with his claim at a full tribunal hearing later this year.

The 69-year-old was employed as a security guard by GMS at a former Jaguar car site near Coventry. The site was eventually taken over by a firm called Goodmans, who paid GMS thousands of pounds a month to provide guards – including Mr Collins.

Goodmans cancelled the GMS contract and DMS Demolition moved in to carry out demolition work on part of the site.

Mr Collins, who had helped guard the site from 6pm to 6am, said he discovered he was no longer needed.

He said he had been unable to find other work after 15 years in the security business.

Tim Lang, representing GMS, said there had been a takeover of the site and that DMS had been responsible for Mr Collins’ dismissal and not GMS. He said that Mr Collins had wanted to remain on the site.

Mr Lang drew a parallel with the takeover of sites in London by demolition firms preparing for the Olympic games in 2012.

DMS denied they were responsible for Mr Collins’ dismissal and said that GMS were to blame.

Tribunal judge Charles Saunby said he was not convinced with Mr Lang’s comparative situation with the Olympic games sites and said GMS was responsible for the dismissal and not DMS Mr Collins is now preparing to conduct his own case for unfair dismissal at the full hearing.