A Bradford doctor specialising in blood disorders has been awarded more then £12,000 for having to work longer hours than agreed in his contract.

Dr Giamal Sager, aged 44, who is now working at Bradford Royal Infirmary, where he lives with his wife and four children, won his case against his previous employer.

He joined the BRI this year after leaving Mid Staffordshire General Hospital in June, following a dispute over his working hours.

A Birmingham Employment Tribunal was told that Dr Sager had been contracted to work a basic 42-hour week for a salary of £35,065 at the hospital at Stafford, plus £67.47 for every overtime session.

A session could last between four and six hours and Dr Sager told the tribunal that some weeks he was working more than 55 hours-a-week without the appropriate payment.

The tribunal was told that Dr Sager, who had joined the Stafford hospital in July last year, had left in June this year because he was dissatisfied with the situation.

The tribunal was told that Dr Sager was so concerned that he was being underpaid that he sent a letter to the hospital management detailing his complaints. But he failed to receive a reply.

Eventually, after Dr Sager had again taken up the matter, a meeting with the management was arranged and his hours were reduced - including working one weekend in every four instead of three.

Dr Sager was told by tribunal chairman Charles Goodier that his application for compensation for breach of contract had been successful. The hospital had opposed the application.

Mr Goodier said the tribunal panel had been concerned about the management's delays in dealing with Dr Sager's grievances.

"A reasonable employer would have dealt with the matter much earlier," said Mr Goodier. "Dr Sager was working a substantial number of hours over his normal week."

Mr Goodier said Dr Sager was entitled to backpay involving 182 sessions over 26 weeks at £67.47 a session, a total of £12,272.

But he said income tax would have to be deducted, leaving a total of £7,363.

Dr Sager said after the hearing that he was pleased with the outcome.