TRIBUNAL AWARDS WAITRESS £13,048 OVER HOTEL DISCRIMINATION

An Edinburgh Employment Tribunal awarded Daniesha Charles £13,048 over discrimination and harassment during her part-time job at The Royal Thurso Hotel. The tribunal heard that a chef and general manager Andy Woodcock shouted and swore at Charles after she dropped an apple crumble. Woodcock also got in her face during the confrontation, according to evidence heard by the tribunal. Charles worked as a waitress at the Scottish Highlands hotel from May to June 2024 while completing a college course.

She earned £7 an hour and was the youngest of the hotel’s 14 staff members. Charles, who is black British Caribbean, was its only black female employee; most colleagues were white British. She told the tribunal she had dyslexia, depression and anxiety. The tribunal heard that the chef mocked her inability to spell “porridge” and repeatedly called her “that” and “it”.

The tribunal found direct discrimination and harassment relating to age, sex and race, as well as disability discrimination. It described her working environment as “intimidating, hostile, degrading and humiliating and offensive”. The tribunal heard claims that the chef and Woodcock swore at South African and Nepalese staff on numerous occasions. Those claims said they did not swear at any white male employees.