Tribunal awards woman £3,000 in ageist remarks case
An employment tribunal has ruled that a Cookstown woman was harassed by her employer on grounds of her age, and awarded her £3,780 compensation, according to the BBC.
Anna Stirrup, then aged 50, was employed as a shop manager at Summers Dry Cleaners, Cookstown.
She brought the complaint against the owner of the business, Ufuoma Obahor.
The tribunal ruled that Mr Obahor "did have a fixation with the claimant's age which unfortunately led him to making ageist remarks directed against her".
"When Mrs Stirrup had been off work sick for four days (Mr Obahor) called at her home and told her that she was unreliable and could not be depended upon," the tribunal said in a statement.
"He told her that at her age she should be slowing down and was too old to be working five days a week, and that at 50 she was too old.
"He subsequently told Mrs Stirrup that she was tired and that at her age she should be thinking about slowing up."
The tribunal members said they were satisfied that "the injury to the claimant's feelings can be attributed to (Mr Obahor's) acts of harassment".
Mrs Stirrup was also awarded £2,087 for unlawful deductions from her wages.
A claim that Mr Obahor had discriminated against Mrs Stirrup on grounds of religious belief was not upheld by the Tribunal.
