Sandwell Council in payout over supervisor's racist abuse

The incident happened when supervisor Steve Dawson was visiting the claimant while he was working on a council property.

The plasterer, who wishes to remain anonymous, said Mr Dawson had paid a visit to the site because he had requested more time on a job.

The Employment Tribunal, held in Birmingham, found the workman’s claims of racial harassment and victimisation were ‘well founded.’

And tribunal judge Pauline Hughes ordered the respondent – Sandwell Council – to pay £16,000 compensation to the claimant 'in respect of injury to feelings.'

The tribunal also recommended Mr Dawson be provided with equality and diversity training within three months and that he should not be allowed to line manage the claimant after the incident, which happened in 2015.

It ordered the council to issue guidance to managers regarding inappropriate communications and that the council issue a written apology within three months.

Selected managers at the council were instructed to undergo equality and diversity training on a rolling basis following the incident.

But the claimant, who is still waiting for his apology, said after the hearing: “These comments they were de-grading and they really shocked me. It needs to be known what happened.”

Following the judgement Councillor Steve Trow, cabinet member for core services at Sandwell Council, said: ‘The council takes all allegations of this nature extremely seriously and will comply fully with the recommendations of the Employment Tribunal, which includes a rolling schedule of diversity training for its managers.”

A Sandwell Council spokesperson confirmed that the supervisor is still employed by the council.

• We have been asked to clarify that the supervisor referred to in this report is not Steve Dawson who works as a cleaner for the council’s estate services.