Compensation for sex discrimination
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II A woman truck driver who was sacked after complaining about a male colleague's refusal to work with her has won a 25,600 compensation payout.
An employment tribunal ruled that Yvonne McLeod suffered sex discrimination at the hands of former employer, Armadale-based Drummond Distribution in West Lothian, Scotland.
McLeod lost her job in December 1999 after returning from sick leave, the Edinburgh tribunal heard. In the preceding months, she alleged, fellow driver Harry Ford had made derogatory comments, telling her she should be at home or in an office, and that she was "doing a man out of a job".
She said he was intolerant of women drivers in general, and of women truck drivers in particular.
Ford denied these allegations; Drummond directors insisted McLeod did not complain and was simply made redundant
McLeod said: "I'm an experienced driver, but because I'm a woman one of the other drivers tried to make my life difficult. I just ignored the comments or laughed them off for quite a while, but when he refused to drive with me his attitude began to affect the other drivers' work too, and I felt I had to do something. !just wanted to get on with my job, but not long after making a complaint I was made redundant."
Julie Mellor, chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said employers must judge staff purely on their ability to do the job, adding: "This case demonstrates how important it is that employers take complaints of discriminaton very seriously and ensure that anyone who has made a complaint is not victimised as a result."