Banker fired over sexual harassment sues Barclays for $700,000
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By Kirstin Ridley
LONDON (Reuters) – A former Barclays director, fired for sexual harassment and different misconduct, is suing the British financial institution for greater than 584,600 kilos ($719,412), arguing that feminine colleagues fabricated allegations and that his dismissal was unfair.
Robert Report, as soon as a senior wealth supervisor overseeing belongings price 580 million kilos, was dismissed in September 2020 for gross misconduct after a 14-year profession, paperwork accessible on the East London Employment Tribunal present.
However the 46-year-old, whose claims in opposition to the financial institution embrace intercourse discrimination and unfair dismissal, says probably the most critical allegations by no means occurred, together with that he inappropriately touched a feminine colleague, the filings present.
Cross-examined on Thursday by Barclays’ lawyer Ed Williams, Report mentioned he and others had seen a gaggle of girls in conferences and he believed they’d been “cooking up the cost sheet”.
“It’s my perception that these ladies inspired (a feminine former co-worker) to lift a grievance in opposition to me as a part of a collective goal to take away me,” he mentioned.
Witnesses who may have corroborated his considerations about ladies “colluding” in opposition to him weren’t interviewed throughout subsequent inner investigations, he alleges, including that he was unable to correctly defend himself and that his dismissal was unfair and disproportionate.
Barclays rejects his allegations, saying the dismissal was affordable as a result of the disciplinary findings included “unwelcome bodily contact with a feminine colleague, sexual harassment of one other colleague and language and behavior which fairly may very well be taken to be a racial slur”, filings confirmed.
The financial institution declined to remark additional on Thursday.
Allegations in opposition to Report ranged from excluding a feminine staffer from a scavenger hunt to behaving in an “intimidating method”, gazing a lady’s breasts and inappropriately touching a feminine colleague, filings confirmed.
Report denies the allegations. His lawyer Richard Hignett has questioned whether or not Barclays employees, investigating the case, correctly examined the credibility of complainants.
However Williams, for Barclays, mentioned feminine workers believed they had been being subjected to and had been upset by “poor behaviour” on the financial institution, in response to notes of conferences on the time.
“If feminine members employees needed to eliminate senior males who had been sexual harassers, it has nothing to do with the actual fact they’re males or senior. It’s the reality they’re sexual harassers. Do you see that time?” he requested.
Report’s case features a declare for misplaced previous and future earnings, deferred bonuses, pension profit and harm to emotions.
($1 = 0.8126 kilos)
(Reporting by Kirstin Ridley; Modifying by Lisa Shumaker)
