London, August 14, 2004
Prasun Sonwalkar
IANS
British Indian woman who was sacked as head of a racial equality council
in London, has accused her employer of racial discrimination.
Surinder Dale, ex-director of Darlington and Durham County Racial Equality
Council, started tribunal proceedings against her employer after suffering
months of victimisation.
Dale, a mother of two, said in one instance she was branded a "Sikh
bitch". She said the experience had devastated her and ruined her
life.
An employment tribunal in Newcastle found she had been humiliated,
intimidated and victimised throughout her job with the Racial Equality
Council because of her Indian religion.
The council, which has offices in Darlington and Durham City, is a
registered charity that states its mission is to work towards the elimination
of racial discrimination.
It provides support and advice to hundreds of people in the region
who have experienced racial harassment, discrimination and race-related
problems.
Dale, a social worker, said: "It took every ounce of my character
to oppose them. This was a racial equality council fighting to eradicate
racial discrimination yet they were doing it themselves.
"It was a nightmare and a very traumatic experience. I suffered
and my children suffered.
"I was called names and told they hated Sikhs. I sent a letter
to them saying it reeked of racial discrimination and racism. I received
a letter saying I was being dismissed from my post."
"I loved the work but now I just feel dead inside. I have lost
my self-confidence and I am scared to work with other community projects
especially with ethnic minorities."
Dale worked at the council for a year until May 2002 when her post
was terminated. She began tribunal proceedings funded by the Transport
and General Workers Union.
An employment tribunal in March last year ruled in her favour and she
was awarded 30,395 pounds for racial discrimination and victimisation
with costs and 7,646 pounds for breach of contract.
Darlington and Durham County Racial Equality Council appealed against
the decision at the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London in January,
but apart from amendments to the size of the award — reduced to
33,062 pounds - the appeal failed.
A subsequent application for a further appeal has since been refused
and discussions are on with solicitors over how the organisation will
pay the money.
The tribunal said that Pat Poinen, the former chair of the council
and now vice-chair, made a number of derogatory remarks about Dale.
After Dale complained about her treatment, the council set about terminating
her employment as quickly as possible.
Poinen said: "You suffer discrimination in the wider community
you can't get away from it. Then you get together with other communities
to try and work against this but because you come from all different
parts of the world you get into tribalism. To deal with that is worse."
In a statement Darlington and Durham County Racial Equality Council
(DDCREC) said: "The tribunal relates to a situation that arose
more than two years ago and involves matters that we still would dispute."
"As a responsible organisation however the DDCREC sought to learn
from this experience."
"We looked closely at the circumstances involved examined our
procedures and protocols and have undergone developments that make the
chances of anything like this ever arising again highly remote."