Two salespeople who suffered racial discrimination while working at the Stellantis&You dealer group have been awarded thousands of pounds in damages.
The AM100 dealer group must pay Adebayo Oguntokun £60,500 in damages plus £27,000 interest and £13,000 for future medical treatment after an employment tribunal ruled he had been the victim of serious racial discrimination while working at its dealership in Staples Corner, London.
It must also pay Fardowsa Omar, who worked at the same dealership as a sales executive, £58,000 damages plus about another £196,000 for loss of earnings, interest costs and future medical costs, as the tribunal found she was unfairly dismissed and the discrimination she suffered left her too mentally unwell to find new employment.
The tribunal heard both had suffered discrimination from general manager Matthew Worsley that created a hostile environment for them, and had the effect of violating their dignity.
One one occasion Omar was told by Worsley that she looked like a “Somalian pirate”, the tribunal’s judgement reports.
Oguntokun had also reported that Worsley racially harrassed him by sing the phrase “black b***ard” to refer to him.
Omar, when interviewed by another manager as the dealer group investigated Oguntokun’s allegations about Worsley, claimed that there was a culture of racism at the business but that it had not been reported by her or colleagues as they felt that “nobody would listen”.
Worsley was later dismissed by Stellantis&You after a disciplinary process.
The Staples Corner dealership, which has since closed, was acquired by Robins & Day, now Stellantis&You, from Go Vauxhall.