When you think about sex discrimination, it’s quite common to assume that it’s women being treated differently than men because of their sex.
However, in a recent case a male electrician has won his case for sex discrimination for being called a “bald c*nt”. The Claimant brought a claim against his employer for being called this name and argued that this amount to sex-related harassment.
The Tribunal found that although such language was often used on the factory floor, the employee had “crossed the line” by using language which brought about an “intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment”.
The Respondent argued that women could also be bald but the Claimant, Mr Finn stated that men were more likely to be bald than women and as such, the Tribunal found in Mr Finn’s favour.
This just goes to show just how seriously Tribunal’s take what they described as “industrial language”. It is also a message to employers who allow ‘banter’ in the workplace, particularly in sectors renowned for “industrial language”. It is a fine line between having fun in the workplace and allowing discriminatory behaviour.
I guess it remains to be seen now this case has been brought whether other employees will consider bringing similar claims.
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