Woman wins £50,000 over sexist ‘banter’

A SALESWOMAN who quit her job after her sexist boss dismissed females as "handy attachments for Hoovers" was awarded almost £50,000 compensation yesterday by an employment tribunal.

Last night, a jubilant Tina Oakes said she had been driven almost to suicide because of the abuse she had suffered in an office where a "laddish culture" and a contempt for women prevailed.

Mrs Oakes, 42, was forced to resign from her 14,000-a-year job as a customer services representative with Apparelmaster UK Ltd, a workwear supply company, after only 18 months in the post.

An employment tribunal, which has backed her claims that she was a victim of sexual discrimination, has awarded her a total of 47, 336 compensation for her constructive and unfair dismissal and injury to her feelings.

And, in a rare move, the tribunal has also ordered Murray Leiper, Mrs Oakes’s former manager, and her former employers to make an unqualified apology to her for the treatment she suffered.

Flora Carmichael, the tribunal chairwoman, states in her judgement: "Plainly, there was not only a laddish culture in the office, with swearing and sexist remarks, but there was a certain contempt for women who much of the time just did not count."

The tribunal was told that Mr Leiper, who has since been promoted by his company, had commented that "women are a handy attachment for Hoovers" and had cursed and sworn in the office.

He was also alleged to have described a television presenter as a good-looking "tart" who was "worth a squirt".

Mrs Oakes, of Cairnie, near Huntly, Aberdeenshire, said last night she was delighted to have won her case but astonished that her former boss, Mr Leiper, was still working with the company.

And she revealed: "It was affecting my whole life - I was seriously considering suicide. The sad thing is I really enjoyed my job and it was so difficult to hand in my notice.

"But I just could not cope any longer and knew he was going to get me out in the end."

She recalled: "What drew me to the job was their advert that said they were an equal opportunities employer. I thought they seemed like a good company to work for, but they just paid it lip service."

Referring to her former manager, Mrs Oakes continued: "He really should have been sacked. I pity any woman who ends up working for him. He is a male chauvinist. I found his behaviour totally intolerable."

According to the tribunal judgement, the company carried out its own investigation following Mrs Oakes’s resignation and found Mr Leiper’s remark that "women are a handy attachment for Hoovers" and other comments breached its code of ethics. He was issued with a final warning, but a year later was promoted to the position of general manager and moved to the Midlands.