LONDON, March 04, 2005
(AFP)
Britain's seniormost Sikh soldier, a woman who has
served in the army for 21 years, is suing the Ministry
of Defence (MoD) for sexual and racial discrimination,
The Times newspaper reported.
Jinder Moore, 40, claims that email and verbal abuse
commenting on her pregnancy and maternity leave amounted
to sexual and racial discimination, the paper said.
Moore's counsel will reportedly argue that her career
as a warrant officer in the army's personnel department
was stalled after she complained about treatment from
higher-ranking officers.
The mother of four said emails from colleagues commented
on how quickly she became pregnant after returning
from her second maternity leave.
The MoD declined to comment on her case, which will
be heard later this month by an employment tribunal,
but a spokesman told The Times that the army "does
not tolerate radical or sexual discrimination in any
form".
Britain's military was forced by a European Union
(news - web sites) directive to alter its military
code in 1997, which had formerly ousted women from
their jobs after they became pregnant
