£124,000 award for waitress sexually harassed by chef

Published on Friday 24 February 2006 00:39

A WAITRESS at a top London restaurant who was sexually harassed by a chef has been awarded £124,000 in compensation.

The woman complained about the "boorish behaviour" of the chef, including the frequent use of sexual swear words demeaning to women. The atmosphere in the kitchen was said to be "bullying and humiliating", with the chef using sexist terms.

A London employment tribunal found at an earlier hearing that the woman faced unlawful sex discrimination and has now awarded her the six-figure sum in compensation. Neither the woman nor the chef can be identified, for legal reasons.

The tribunal found that the chef was disrespectful of women, regarding them as "sex objects".

At an earlier hearing, the woman said she was grabbed by her shoulders and pushed against a wall near the staff entrance by the chef, who started to kiss her neck.

She later became ill and was certified as unfit for work because of stress caused by the chef's conduct.

She left her job, fearing that by returning she would be subjected to more abuse and sexist behaviour, the tribunal heard.