School Refuses Promotion Due To Race
How do we get a promotion? We make ourselves noticed within our workforce we influence outcomes and business ventures we go beyond our job description we help other team members we remain outside political disputes at work we make constructive and innovative decisions and we stay true to our beliefs.
David McLeod certainly had this entire check-list tightly secured. The 38 year-old development worker was working towards boosting ethnic minority students’ grades at the City Academy in Bristol. He was involved in a program with the help of other staff members that was designed to help black and other ethnic minority students – great in terms of people who deserve recognition and a promotion.
Well great on paper! However there was one problem. David McLeod along with a few other members of staff working on his project were all black and as a result all overlooked for promotion. Instead a white colleague with no experience in the field was promoted to become his line manager and he was not even given an opportunity to apply for the role.
There were also comments made about McLeod and another black colleague being “vulnerable” something which the judge deemed racially loaded and “degrading”.
A tribunal has now awarded McLeod £14000 for racial discrimination and harassment for being repeatedly overlooked for promotions. He stated that his quest to claim against the school was never about the money but about letting the school know that what they were doing was wrong and would not be tolerated. He said that the treatment towards him had made him feel like “nothing” and a “clown” and that on numerous occasions he had been reduced to tears because his attempts to make a difference were thrown upon turned backs.
Melissa from Oakwood Solicitors says ” Ignorance is no longer a satisfactory explanation to racial discrimination as it remains ever-present within our communities. Everyone should be presented with equal opportunities and no one should be made to feel insignificant. It is up to us to promote equality and make sure that people understand discrimination will not be tolerated. We are no longer living in the past.”
If you have suffered from discrimination in the work place get in touch with one of our friendly avisors and make a start to fight for your justice.
