Irishwoman Bernadette Hayes, who worked for West Leeds Civils (UK) from December 2023 to June 2024, insisted in court that her former boss’s jokes had a negative impact on her health.
“Insulting on the grounds of nationality.”
The plaintiff claimed former boss Mick Atkins initially singled her out for nationality in plain sight and did not stop doing so after urging her to do so. “He would shout the word ‘potato’ as soon as he walked into the office, even if I wasn’t speaking to him. If we had a disagreement, he would shout the word over and over again in a strong Irish accent. He would insult me nationally and create an atmosphere of hostility towards me. This made me feel insignificant, insecure, humiliated. At work, I was constantly in an anxious state,” the BBC quoted Hayes as saying.
In July 2024, the woman went on sick leave due to work-related stress. Upon her return, she was fired. Then she went to court to demand compensation for moral damages, her former boss called the process “utter nonsense”.
Compensation and payment per month
The employment tribunal ruled that West Leeds Civils director Mick Atkins had “used offensive and derogatory language to Hayes, clearly linked to nationality”.
Hayes was awarded £20.73k (€23.9k) in moral damages. The tribunal also ordered the company to pay the woman four weeks’ wages of £2,800 (€3,200), which she had not received in time.
A sensitive issue
Ireland experienced the Great Famine of 1845-1849, caused by a massive potato blight caused by phytophthora. The root vegetable was a staple food for the general population, especially the most vulnerable, so its disappearance led to the deaths of about 1 million people (8.2 million lived on the island before the famine) and mass emigration.
The Great Famine is a national tragedy for the Irish, and any jokes about it are very sensitive for them. Especially if they come from Albion, as it was Great Britain, which ruled the island at the time, that was accused of inaction during the food disaster.
