A first Bus Employee who referred to his female manager as a ‘bint’ has failed in his claim for unfair dismissal.
An unfair dismissal tribunal has determined that the former employee discriminated against his manager by using derogatory language in the workplace, concluding that his dismissal was a “reasonable” action.
Chatterton initially denied sending the derogatory messages to his manager
Details of the incident
Scott Chatterton, employed by bus operator First Travel Solutions, was dismissed after it came to light that he had sent messages to colleagues labelling his manager as a “dozy bint” and “dumbo”.
The company stated that he had violated its policies on workplace bullying and initiated an investigation into his behaviour.
Chatterton initially denied sending the derogatory messages to his manager, Dominique Ainscow, and only offered an apology “if he had caused any distress”.
Hearing proceedings
During a disciplinary hearing, he told the investigator that he believed the language was common, describing it as “just how people talk” and mentioning that he had encountered the term “bint” on the television soap opera Coronation Street.
Chatterton “evaded direct questions”
He contended that his manager’s behaviour had provoked him and led to his use of inappropriate language.
The investigator clarified that such a term was a pejorative label for a woman and emphasised that permitting male employees to use discriminatory language about colleagues was “in direct contradiction to [First Travel’s] values”.
Dismissal and appeal
Chatterton was dismissed and subsequently appealed the decision, but First Travel upheld his termination.
Employment judge Zoe Thompson stated that Chatterton “evaded direct questions” (Personnel Today) regarding whether he considered the language to be derogatory.
“He was evidently attempting to downplay his culpability by using such terms to describe his female line manager,” she noted.
“There was no indication that this kind of language was tolerated in the respondent’s workplace.”
The judge determined that dismissing Chatterton was a justified response to his conduct and rejected his claim for unfair dismissal.
