Discrimination

Joe, a black Caribbean man with a London dialect, had been working for the council for several years. Despite his dedication to his job, his manager would frequently tell him off for his tone during telephone conversations, without any clear explanation. The manager’s reprimands became more offensive and discriminatory with his manager telling him to mimic the speech of one of his white British colleagues. The situation took a toll on Joe's mental health, leading to sick leave due to stress. Joe raised grievances several times, but they were dismissed by his manager and another senior manager. This prompted him to blow the whistle on the discrimination he faced and he made contact with Race Equality First to help him to challenge his manager’s discriminatory treatment and the organisation’s failure to address this.

Joe didn’t have any legal representation, so I provided comprehensive assistance throughout the tribunal process. This involved explaining legal documents, liaising with the courts and the respondent's solicitor, and helping Joe to draft tribunal documents.

Before the case went to tribunal, Joe settled his case for a large compensation amount which I helped him to achieve by negotiating with his employer’s solicitors on his behalf. Before my support, Joe had struggled to even get a response from his employers to his complaint let alone any access to justice and fair treatment in the workplace.