THE BRITISH INQUISITION
In his recent speech about race, Trevor Phillips boasted of a recent case in which someone had been awarded £1.6million as a result of an allegation of racism.
This was the case of Dr Feyi Awotona, a 50 year old Nigerian immigrant, who was a gynaecologist at the South Tyneside District Hospital, South Shields. Dr Awotona had been fired for ‘gross personal misconduct’ from the hospital in 1998 following an inquiry which arose out of 3 years of friction with other senior staff.
The inquiry was concerned with allegations that Dr Awotona vanished from work, was obstructive, confrontational and was uncontactable on one occasion when she was on call. It was also felt that she was allowing the time spent on a part-time MBA course at Durham University to interfere with her work.
But Dr Awotona claimed the charges were ‘trumped up’ and that she had been fired due to her race and the fact that she was already pursuing the hospital for racial discrimination.
Dr Awotona claimed to have been subject to ‘demeaning’ comments from colleagues and said that the worst instance had been remarks by a Mr Robson, a medical director, who has since died. This related to a new government initiative, and Dr Awotona said:
The industrial tribunal upheld Dr Awotona’s complaints that she had been unfairly dismissed and racial discrimination, but rejected her claim of sexual discrimination.
Once legal costs are taken into account, it is expected that the case will cost the NHS up to £3million.
Irrespective of the law and the facts of the case, the amount of the award is ridiculous. £1.6million! This is as good as a lottery win and an awful lot more than Dr Awotona would ever have earned in Nigeria.
It further needs to be compared with the compensation those who have been injured and maimed in the 7/7 bombings will receive.
That Mr Phillips thinks that this is something to boast about shows how totally unfit he is to be in his present position.
The law needs to be changed.
This was the case of Dr Feyi Awotona, a 50 year old Nigerian immigrant, who was a gynaecologist at the South Tyneside District Hospital, South Shields. Dr Awotona had been fired for ‘gross personal misconduct’ from the hospital in 1998 following an inquiry which arose out of 3 years of friction with other senior staff.
The inquiry was concerned with allegations that Dr Awotona vanished from work, was obstructive, confrontational and was uncontactable on one occasion when she was on call. It was also felt that she was allowing the time spent on a part-time MBA course at Durham University to interfere with her work.
But Dr Awotona claimed the charges were ‘trumped up’ and that she had been fired due to her race and the fact that she was already pursuing the hospital for racial discrimination.
Dr Awotona claimed to have been subject to ‘demeaning’ comments from colleagues and said that the worst instance had been remarks by a Mr Robson, a medical director, who has since died. This related to a new government initiative, and Dr Awotona said:
‘I felt this was sufficiently important a change that its implementation should be handled by a consultant. Mr Robson acknowledged I was enthusiastic and keen to introduce new ideas. But he astonished me by saying that because I was a woman and black there was a limit to what I could do at South Tyneside.
He made it clear his opinion of the worth and respect that should be accorded to me was influenced by my race and gender.’
The industrial tribunal upheld Dr Awotona’s complaints that she had been unfairly dismissed and racial discrimination, but rejected her claim of sexual discrimination.
Once legal costs are taken into account, it is expected that the case will cost the NHS up to £3million.
Irrespective of the law and the facts of the case, the amount of the award is ridiculous. £1.6million! This is as good as a lottery win and an awful lot more than Dr Awotona would ever have earned in Nigeria.
It further needs to be compared with the compensation those who have been injured and maimed in the 7/7 bombings will receive.
That Mr Phillips thinks that this is something to boast about shows how totally unfit he is to be in his present position.
The law needs to be changed.
posted by erc @ 11:05 pm
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