Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Bullying and harassmentConstructive dismissalDisabilityLatest NewsEmployment tribunals

Black security manager awarded £360k after decade of bullying

by Rob Moss 20 May 2025
by Rob Moss 20 May 2025 Richard Walker Media/Shutterstock
Richard Walker Media/Shutterstock

A black security manager who left his job after being the ‘victim of continuous bullying and racism’ – including being called a ‘slave’ – has been awarded £360,700 at an employment tribunal.

The claimant, Mr Assan, who is of African descent, began working for Wilson James Security, at Cavendish Square, London, in 2007. He was transferred by TUPE to the respondent, Vigilant Security, in 2010 and promoted soon after to site controller, and again to security manager in 2018.

The tribunal found a “striking imbalance” between the racial profiles of Vigilant’s security guards , who were mainly ethnic minorities, and managers who were almost exclusively white. Director of operations, Mr Rampe, told the panel that real efforts have been made to redress this imbalance, but admitted they had not succeeded.

Employment tribunals

Union rep teacher awarded £370k for unfair dismissal

Tribunal finds need for degree in redundancy selection was ageist

NHS worker awarded £29k after Darth Vader comparison

By letter in April 2022, Assan resigned with immediate effect, making the general case that he was the victim of continuous bullying and racism dating back to 2011.

The tribunal considered no fewer than 63 alleged incidents of direct race discrimination, race-related harassment, and discrimination arising from disability and victimisation.

In June 2011, a white chief engineer for a contractor on the site, made a comment in the security office in front of others, referring to Assan as his “slave”.

The panel said: “This extraordinary remark was apparently intended to be humorous and was delivered in a jocular manner. Not surprisingly, the claimant was embarrassed and offended.”

The same year, another incident included a colleague making a Nazi salute while shouting “Heil Hitler”. In 2012, Rampe asked Assan, where he had learned his English, something the tribunal found was materially influenced by his race.

In 2015, “Mr X” referred to some Eastern European visitors as “stupid foreigners”. A complaint was eventually upheld and, seemingly at the behest of Rampe, Mr X was disciplined, receiving a first and final written warning.

The tribunal found that Assan suffered an “obvious detriment” when his promotion application in 2016 was ignored, and that his race was, at the very least, a material factor.

The tribunal concluded that most of his claims failed as acts capable of amounting to harassment. Of those which survived, all but two failed because they were not shown to rest on conduct “related to” race or because they were presented out of time, meaning the tribunal had no jurisdiction to consider them.

The judge said: “In our judgment, [Rampe’s] overtly race-based treatment of the claimant is more than sufficient to shift the burden to the respondent to disprove discrimination. That burden is not discharged.”

The judgment added: “There were certainly race-based incidents at several points in the long story. But our focus must be upon the dismissal and what precipitated the resignation through which it was effected… We are satisfied to a high standard that the treatment which caused the claimant to resign amounted to a series of acts of victimisation.”

It added “Plainly, the respondent’s treatment of the claimant on 31 January 2022 in calling him into a ‘disciplinary investigation meeting’ without warning, suspending him and sending him a list of unparticularised allegations of gross misconduct constituted detrimental treatment.”

The tribunal determined that, in respect of the successful claims for victimisation and unfair dismissal, Vigilant Security shall pay Assan £360,700, comprising past and future losses, injury to feeling, personal injury, a basic unfair dismissal award, interest, a 17.5% Acas uplift and grossing up for tax.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

 

Employee relations opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more Employee Relations jobs

Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. Rob specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments
next post
Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical cannabis

You may also like

Contract cleaner loses EAT race discrimination appeal

14 May 2025

Lincolnshire doctor awarded £250k in race discrimination case

2 May 2025

Trump ‘restores’ meritocracy by eroding discrimination protections

25 Apr 2025

West Yorkshire Police denies positive discrimination accusations

10 Apr 2025

Eight new equality laws in the pipeline

10 Apr 2025

Thames Valley Police ‘positive discrimination’ led to ‘divided...

4 Apr 2025

NHS trust took ‘reasonable steps’ to stop racial...

31 Mar 2025

What is the way forward for DEI?

31 Mar 2025

HMRC worker sent birthday card awarded £25k for...

21 Mar 2025

Google agrees $28m payout to settle racial bias...

19 Mar 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today