Boss fines dyslexic trainee

A BOSS humiliated a dyslexic carpentry apprentice by forcing him to answer questions from a children's textbook and docking his pay by pounds 2 for every incorrect answer, an industrial tribunal has been told.

Tony Mason, 18, said he was routinely bullied by a Kent-based joiner, Clive Harris, who ordered him to do "homework" from his 11-year-old daughter's maths workbook as part of his NVQ training.

Yesterday, the teenager, who was seeking unfair dismissalafter he was sacked in February following 18 months with Mr Harris' firm, accepted an out-of court settlement from Mr Harris - pounds 300 for a month's wages and pounds 10 in "fine" money for the answers he got wrong.

His treatment drew stinging criticism from dyslexia campaigners and the Construction Industry Training Board, which placed him with Mr Harris. It said it has launched an inquiry into Mr Harris' on-the-job training methods.