Six-foot Tesco worker ridiculed for stand-off with pregnant woman wins ET claim
A Tesco worker who was ridiculed after being trapped in a room by his pregnant female boss and was later sacked has been awarded ÂŁ50,000 for sex discrimination.
Six-foot-tall Toby King told an employment tribunal that supervisors said âa big manâ could not be frightened by a âlittle pregnant womanâ.
The tribunal, however, ruled that he was the victim of sex discrimination because his bosses refused to take his complaint seriously due to the difference in size between Mr King and his boss, 5â5â Jo Francis. She put her âfoot against the doorâ and placed her hand on Mr Kingâs arm to prevent him from leaving the room during a discussion over extra work hours, the tribunal heard.
Tesco was ordered to pay Mr King ÂŁ47,690.61 in compensation.
Mr King said he was âvulnerableâ as he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, having been âheld hostageâ while working in the Prison Service. His bosses were aware of his condition.
He was sacked in 2018 for arriving late to work repeatedly. He said the incident with Ms Francis had caused him to relapse and meant he could not leave home.
The tribunal said that CCTV photos showed Mr King to be âincreasingly anxious and borderline desperate to get out of the roomâ.Â
A female in the same situation would not have been dismissed, the judge said.