A lab assistant who was dismissed and later discovered a recording in which his former manager said he had been ‘radicalised’ has settled his discrimination case.
Waqas Rai, who is Muslim, claimed he suffered race and religious discrimination when he was dismissed from his university placement role at Coventry-based diagnostic company Micropathology in December 2021.
Months after his dismissal, Rai’s former manager gave a university lecture in which he openly discussed the reasons for Rai’s dismissal, saying he thought Rai had been “radicalised”. A recording of the lecture was posted online, which was seen by Rai and other students on his biomedical science undergraduate course.
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In later correspondence with the University of Warwick, the manager was claimed to have explicitly compared Rai to “the man who killed the MP in Southend”.
In October 2021, MP David Amess was killed at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea by Ali Harbi Ali, who was convicted of murder and the preparation of terrorist acts.
Rai’s manager was alleged to have told the university that Rai’s “very intelligent” but “totally passive” behaviour was an indication that he had been radicalised.
Rai took a religious and race discrimination claim against Micropathology to an employment tribunal, but the parties have reached an out-of-court settlement before the final hearing.
The government’s equality watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), provided funding and assistance with Rai’s case.
EHRC chairwoman Baroness Kishwer Falkner said: “The manner of Waqas’s dismissal, and the comments subsequently made about him in an attempt to justify it, are totally unacceptable. Everyone has the right to go to work without worrying they’re going to be treated differently because of their race or religion.
“On this occasion the comments were shared publicly, but it doesn’t matter whether they were made in a lecture hall, a laboratory, an office or even in an email – discrimination should not be tolerated anywhere.”
Rai said: “I couldn’t believe it when I first heard what was said about me in the recording. I just felt so angry and confused.
“It has really affected my mental health and made me feel anxious about continuing to work in the industry. Every time I join a new institution or start a new job, I feel like I’m always going to be paranoid about what people think. I worry I’m not able to be myself because of what people might be thinking about me.
On this occasion the comments were shared publicly, but it doesn’t matter whether they were made in a lecture hall, a laboratory, an office or even in an email – discrimination should not be tolerated anywhere” – Baroness Kishwer Falkner, EHRC
“I hope that sharing my experience can help prevent it from happening to others in the future, but to anyone who’s been treated like I have, I want to say that there is help out there. I’d like to thank my lawyer and the Equality and Human Rights Commission for their support.”
Rai’s former manager, who has not been named, published a statement in January that makes no admission of liability, but suggests the company will carry out training and review its policies.
The statement says: “On behalf of both myself and Micropathology Limited, I accept that the circumstances surrounding the recording and subsequent transmission of what I thought was a private conversation with a third party individual was entirely regretful.
“In that conversation I referred to Mr Rai by name, which I acknowledge was entirely avoidable. I also regret any offence that the recording and later publication of the recording caused Mr Rai, or indeed any other individual who was presented with that recording.”
The statement says the comments were not motivated by Rai’s race or religion.
It says: “I accept that there are lessons to be learned from this experience, and this is why the board and I are committing to a review of Micropathology Ltd policies and procedures. I, together with other senior staff, will also arrange for training on equal opportunities issues … The Micropathology board will also seek direction and recommendations from the Ethics Committee and I will accept and adopt those recommendations.
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“I regret any upset, offence or distress caused and I would like to wish Mr Rai all the best in his future endeavours.”
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