Post by Right Said Fred on Sept 17, 2009 7:40:34 GMT -5
'Too Sexy' Prison Guard Wins Unfair Dismissal Suit Against Employer
Being too sexy may have landed Right Said Fred on the charts, but it cost one young British woman her job.
But Amit Kajla of Wolverhampton, England is having the last laugh, after a British tribunal ruled that her former employer, HMPS, was guilty of sexual harassment and unfair dismissal after forcing her out for being "too sexy," The Daily Mail reports.
The beautiful 22-year-old woman, who had worked as a guard at the HM Prison in Brinsford, England, filed suit last spring after complaining that her colleagues had criticized her for wearing too much makeup and adjusting her guard uniform to accommodate her petite body, the paper reports.
According to the paper, Kajla also claimed that one of her fellow officers had shouted at her in the presence of inmates, called her a "stupid little girl," and blamed her appearance for an excess of inmate calls.
Kajla complained about her work environment in January 2008 and filed a formal grievance complaint that March before resigning in April and ultimately being terminated that May, the paper reports.
"I was seen as a weak woman who could be bullied," Kajla told The Daily Mail. "I am very happy they have condemned the HMPS for the way they sought to justify the actions of the bully by suggesting my approach to work and my appearance was inappropriate and could create a breach in security."
The tribunal agreed. "If she was not the young, attractive woman that she is, he [Kajla's fellow officer, Lee Hastings] would not have treated her in the way he did," the panel said, according to the paper. "He engaged in unwanted conduct that had the purpose or effect of violating her dignity or of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for her. The prison service were aware of this but that the claimant was expected to put up with this type of conduct."
The paper reports that Kajla is expected to receive compensation, but no amount has yet been stated.
Guess employers will now think twice before dissing their employees' fashion sense!
Being too sexy may have landed Right Said Fred on the charts, but it cost one young British woman her job.
But Amit Kajla of Wolverhampton, England is having the last laugh, after a British tribunal ruled that her former employer, HMPS, was guilty of sexual harassment and unfair dismissal after forcing her out for being "too sexy," The Daily Mail reports.
The beautiful 22-year-old woman, who had worked as a guard at the HM Prison in Brinsford, England, filed suit last spring after complaining that her colleagues had criticized her for wearing too much makeup and adjusting her guard uniform to accommodate her petite body, the paper reports.
According to the paper, Kajla also claimed that one of her fellow officers had shouted at her in the presence of inmates, called her a "stupid little girl," and blamed her appearance for an excess of inmate calls.
Kajla complained about her work environment in January 2008 and filed a formal grievance complaint that March before resigning in April and ultimately being terminated that May, the paper reports.
"I was seen as a weak woman who could be bullied," Kajla told The Daily Mail. "I am very happy they have condemned the HMPS for the way they sought to justify the actions of the bully by suggesting my approach to work and my appearance was inappropriate and could create a breach in security."
The tribunal agreed. "If she was not the young, attractive woman that she is, he [Kajla's fellow officer, Lee Hastings] would not have treated her in the way he did," the panel said, according to the paper. "He engaged in unwanted conduct that had the purpose or effect of violating her dignity or of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for her. The prison service were aware of this but that the claimant was expected to put up with this type of conduct."
The paper reports that Kajla is expected to receive compensation, but no amount has yet been stated.
Guess employers will now think twice before dissing their employees' fashion sense!