A SACKED firefighter should be given his job back according to an employment tribunal.

Kevin Hughes should also be paid £35,000 for the pay he has lost since his dismissal more than 18 months ago.

But Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service will not say if he will be given back the job he has done for more than 15 years.

Despite Employment Judge Keith Robinson’s order that Mr Hughes should be reinstated by April 4, a Fire Service spokesperson would say only: “The matter will be discussed by members of the Fire Authority on Thursday.”

Kevin Hughes’ was dismissed in July 2009 for punching 19-year-old James Tasker, the son of a station manager, in the Victoria Pub, Rainhill.

His sacking brought Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service to the brink of strike action after the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) said the dismissal process was flawed.

Industrial action was only avoided when an agreement was reached between the Fire Service and FBU that if a tribunal ordered his reinstatement they would ‘respect the decision’.

But last month Chief Fire Officer Tony McGuirk said that it was ‘not possible’ for Mr Hughes to be reinstated as he had lost the confidence of managers and that the agreement didn’t mean they would necessarily take him back.

The Employment Judge took Mr McGuirk to task over his comments, saying he ‘seemed to have set his face against Mr Hughes being reinstated’.

FBU official Les Skarratts said: “Given the unanimous decision of the tribunal and criticism of the Chief Fire Officer in this process we’d expect the Fire Authority to immediately reinstate, respect the decision of the tribunal, and act like decent people.”

He said Mr Hughes, a father of two from Rainhill, was ‘relieved that it’s all over’ and looking forward to returning to work and Whiston Fire Station.