Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Case lawCaste discriminationRace discriminationMinimum wageModern slavery

Caste discrimination: servant awarded £184,000 for unpaid wages

by Stephen Simpson 23 Sep 2015
by Stephen Simpson 23 Sep 2015

An employment tribunal has awarded a domestic servant who brought one of the UK’s first claims for caste discrimination £184,000 in unpaid wages.

Caste discrimination

Podcast: Caste discrimination

Caste discrimination claim possible under Equality Act 2010

Chef brings caste discrimination claim under Equality Act 2010

Ms Tirkey was in domestic service for Mr and Mrs Chandok, initially in India and later in the UK. She is from the Adivasi people, who some in India consider “low caste”.

Ms Tirkey brought various claims in the employment tribunal, including that she was discriminated against because of her caste.

She alleged that she was required to be on call 24 hours a day, had to sleep on the floor, and was prevented from contacting her family or having control of her own bank account.

She also claimed that she was not paid the national minimum wage, receiving just 11 pence per hour.

Her case went to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) to decide the legal issue of whether or not caste discrimination claims can be pursued under the Equality Act 2010.

The EAT concluded that she could proceed with her caste discrimination claim, which was later successful in the employment tribunal, along with her other claims.

The employment tribunal has now awarded Ms Tirkey £183,774 for unpaid wages, as she was not paid the national minimum wage.

A further remedy hearing has been scheduled for 5 and 6 November 2015 to decide on compensation for her other claims, including for caste discrimination.

Modern Slavery Act 2015

What duties will employers have under the “transparency in supply chains” provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2015?

How employers can prepare for the Modern Slavery Act

Ms Tirkey said: “I want the public to know what happened to me as it must not happen to anyone else. The stress and anxiety that this sort of thing creates for a person can destroy them.

“I have not been able to smile because my life had been destroyed. Now I am able to smile again. Now I am free.”

Victoria Marks, the claimant’s solicitor from the Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit said: “This is a very useful judgment for victims of modern day slavery. We hope that it will give other victims the courage to come forward and seek redress.

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.

“It is important that traffickers do not act with impunity and that they see that their victims can and will hold them to account.”

The judgment comes just days before the Modern Slavery Act 2015 comes into force. The legislation requires large commercial employers to publish a slavery and human trafficking statement each year.

Stephen Simpson

Stephen Simpson is Principal HR Strategy and Practice Editor at Brightmine. His areas of responsibility include the policies and documents and law reports. After obtaining a law degree and training to be a solicitor, he moved into publishing, initially with Butterworths. He joined Brightmine in its early days in 2001.

previous post
Notice periods: 10 employers’ questions on UK law
next post
Is technology the answer to computer-related stress?

You may also like

Living wage pushes up spring pay settlements

2 Jul 2025

Ethnicity and disability pay gaps: Ready to report?...

1 Jul 2025

One in eight senior NHS managers from black...

1 Jul 2025

Graduate pay versus the living wage: an HR...

25 Jun 2025

AI company did not racially discriminate against Chinese...

20 Jun 2025

Barts nurse told to remove watermelon image claims...

19 Jun 2025

Racism claims have tripled and ‘Equality Act is...

12 Jun 2025

School’s bid to appeal Kristie Higgs ruling refused...

11 Jun 2025

Court rejects Liberty’s legal challenge against EHRC consultation

9 Jun 2025

US Supreme Court lowers burden of proof for...

6 Jun 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...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
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+