A race discrimination case brought by two immigration officers against the Home Office begins today at Croydon Employment Tribunal in South London.
The two officers, Ahmed and Khan, who work in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in London, claim they have been systematically discriminated against because of their race.
The tribunal will hear that the officers had to work in an environment where racially offensive language such as “savages” and “spear chuckers” is claimed to have been used on a regular basis when referring to black and Asian people.
The officers will also allege instances of discrimination where complaints have not been investigated properly or seriously and that the claimants have lost valuable and actual opportunities because of racism.
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Jeremy Gautrey, national officer for the Public and Commercial Services union, said: “It is deeply disturbing that a government department which professes to be at the forefront of tackling racism is itself the subject of such severe allegations.”
The case is expected to last for 10 days.
