An Irish woman working in the UK has received a substantial payout after alleging she was repeatedly ridiculed by her employer.
Bernadette Hayes, who was 55 at the time, worked as a bookkeeper for a civil engineering firm in Leeds. She told a tribunal that, throughout her employment, she experienced ongoing workplace humiliation.
Hayes described the atmosphere as:
‘hostile, humiliating and offensive’
She said the director of West Leeds Civils LTD, Mick Atkins, would mimic an exaggerated Irish accent and use slurs during workplace disagreements. According to Hayes, he would shout:
‘potato’
She also alleged he used terms including:
‘paddy’
‘stupid paddy’
‘p*key’
Hayes said the behavior continued for around six months from late 2023, leaving her feeling as though she:
‘suffered a death by 1,000 cuts.’
After the ruling, she was awarded £23,000 ($31,000).
The case referenced the Equality Act 2010, under which “race” covers colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origins—meaning nationality-based mistreatment can amount to race discrimination.
The tribunal heard that Atkins had previously referred to Hayes’ background, but that the conduct intensified after another employee, Marcus Smith, started at the business.
It was also noted that Hayes occasionally appeared to “play along”, including at times referring to herself as a:
‘potato’
The tribunal was told she did so:
‘in an attempt to make light’
Hayes said the situation affected her wellbeing, and that she felt:
‘physically sick’
She said she:
‘dreaded’
walking into the office, anticipating more comments from the pair.
Hayes told the tribunal she made clear she didn’t find the remarks amusing, but she claimed she was afraid to challenge her boss because he was an:
‘intimidating, volatile character’
She also noted:
“This totally eroded my self-respect and my self-esteem.
“It made me feel small, insecure, violated and extremely anxious. It also made me feel embarrassed.”
In its decision, the Leeds Employment Tribunal, chaired by Judge Buckley, upheld the claims of race harassment and victimisation in part, while rejecting the claim of race discrimination.
The tribunal said:
“From a subjective point of view, it clearly created a hostile, humiliating and offensive environment for her.
“In my view, taken as a whole, it is reasonable for an individual of Irish heritage to find the repeated use of the terms ‘potato’, ‘Paddy’, ‘stupid Paddy’ and ‘p*key’ offensive and humiliating.
“These phrases are overtly linked to race, particularly when considered together rather than in isolation. On that basis, I find that the conduct was linked to race.”