Readers of English tabloids in racism shocker

Coyler · August 12, 2008

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0812/employment.html

Tuesday, 12 August 2008 09:29

An English pipe fitter who was racially abused in his Irish workplace has been awarded €20,000 in compensation.

The man, who worked for an engineering company on a Dublin building site, claimed colleagues called him names and frequently ganged-up on him to sing Irish rebel songs.

Some workers never spoke to him and whenever staff had to enter tanks or dangerous spaces they would say 'send the Brit in' to make the way safe.

Negative reports about England in newspapers and the performance of the country's football team in the 2006 World Cup were also read out in his presence.

The man, who requested anonymity, told an Equality Tribunal that shortly after joining the firm in April 2006 the abuse was so bad he began eating lunch in his car instead of the canteen.

Two months after starting work the man was made redundant and said he was sacked instead of a less experienced Irish worker because he was British.

When the issue of redundancy arose he said one other worker stated aloud: 'The Brit should be sacked and an Irish man should not be let go.'

Another said to the supervisor: 'No Irish man is going out of the gate while we employ a Brit.'

He described his supervisor as intimidating and claimed he joined in with the abuse, even sniggering and laughing.

The company rejected the harassment allegations and claimed the man never complained to his site manager about the abuse.

It also said the man was laid-off because he had less service than other workers on the site.

The board of the Equality Tribunal found the man was racially harassed and that some of the acts were of a blatant and intimidating nature.

The company was ordered to pay him €20,000 in compensation. However, it ruled the firm did not choose the man for redundancy because of his nationality.

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Imagine the horror of negative reports about the performance of the English football team in the World Cup being read out in your presence.

Edited August 12, 2008 by ynwa.tv

RP · August 12, 2008

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