The management at an hotel owned by an Indian-born peer of the realm, which is in a strongly loyalist area of west Belfast, has refused to comment on the outcome of an employment tribunal that found that two Catholic managers were unfairly dismissed after they took a grievance procedure.

The Fair Employment Tribunal awarded Riccardo Cafolla and Stephen Mooney – who were managers at Days Hotel until they were dismissed in June 2005 - £27,000 damages for religious discrimination.

Mr Cafolla was awarded £16,110 and Mr Mooney received £11,600 after a bizarre turn of events led to their dismissals.

Loyalist attacks on the hotel had taken place immediately after the managers disciplined staff.

The attacks stopped after a meeting with the local UDA and the tribunal said that the attacks "were sectarian and directed particularly to Catholic employees of the hotel".

The tribunal said that senior management in the hotel at the time did not wish to instigate disciplinary action against a particular employee, as they feared this would lead to more attacks on the hotel.

It was satisfied that after the UDA meeting, serious attacks stopped but one of those employees disciplined continued to make comments to Mr Mooney.

The tribunal decided that the two men had been disciplined after they told the company, Andras House – owned by Diljit (Lord) Rana that they wished to begin a grievance procedure.

Speaking after the FET decision was made public, Mr Cafolla said he felt "vindicated".

"My chief concern in all this was to try to ensure the safety of the staff in the hotel. I am pleased that the tribunal has vindicated what I did," he said.

Mr Mooney said the attacks and threats were frightening.

"I was very upset to be dismissed when I knew we had done nothing to deserve it," he said.

Eileen Lavery of the Equality Commission, which supported the case, said the FET found the hotel management had treated some staff more leniently than others.

"To be dismissed following this dispute was unjustified and obviously distressing to the two men concerned. The tribunal has reflected that in their decision," she said.

Andras House employs over 300 people in Belfast. The company was formed in 1981 by Lord Diljit Rana and is now one of the biggest hotel groups in Belfast.

It has constructed and currently operates hotels under some well-known international brand names.

Current hotels include the Ramada Hotel Belfast; Days Inn; Express by Holiday Inn and Renshaws.

The first Ibis hotel in Northern Ireland is also being developed by Andras House.

(BMcC)