Expert support for battle against discrimination

Wye Valley employment team recently acted for Mr Allen, a quality manager, in a claim against his former employer.

He enquired about adoption leave in 2018 so he and his husband could start a family. Instead of support and well-wishes, the Employment Tribunal found that he was subjected to harassment and discrimination, including being passed over for a promotion to general manager because he was ‘going to be off for 12 months with parental leave’. He also faced numerous derogatory comments relating to his sexuality. As a result, Mr Allen left his job and turned to our team for advice.

They acted for Mr Allen in his successful claim with the Manchester Employment Tribunal awarding him nearly £175,000 in damages.

Michael Stokes, head of employment, says: “This ruling reminds us that discrimination and harassment because of sexual orientation still exists in the workplace, but will not be tolerated. It is a fantastic result for Mr Allen and the LGBTQ+ community and will give other employees confidence to be themselves.”

The case has been reported on the People Management HR website.

Mr Allen said: “This tribunal judgment shows how important the 2010 Equality Act is for making sure lesbian, gay, bi and trans people are free from discrimination at work. It’s vital more employers take steps to ensure LGBT people feel supported to be themselves at work.

“I can’t thank the Wye Valley employment team enough for their advice, care and support they’ve demonstrated throughout this whole experience. In particular, my thanks go out to the team for always believing in me, always listening to me and for preparing an impeccable case for the tribunal. I could not have had a better legal team.”