A former equalities officer has won almost half a million pounds in damages from a council after a five-year campaign.
Pauline Scanlon received the payout after accusing her former employers, Redcar and Cleveland Council, of discrimination and sexual harassment. The claim dates back to 2005 when she was awarded £450,000 but the matter was only finally resolved last week following a series of appeals when a court upheld the original judgement.
She was sacked from her job with the council for refusing to co-operate and having a poor working relationship with her colleagues but she took legal action claiming sex discrimination, victimisation and unfair dismissal. She said that after she had made a complaint about a colleague’s calendar, which showed Robbie Williams with his trousers round his ankles, she was made the subject of a campaign of harassment by her bosses.
Her payout, which has been criticised by the council, consists of over £100,000 for loss of earnings, £155,000 for future loss of earnings, £87,000 pension loss, £21,000 injury to feelings and £20,000 in aggravated damages.