Mother wins £60,000 over Morrisons discrimination

Morrisons has been told to wage a parent £60,000 for discriminating against her erstwhile she returned from maternity leave.

Donna Patterson, who returned to enactment aft having her 2nd child, was asked fulfil the responsibilities of a full-time occupation contempt lone being contracted to enactment part-time hours.

The mother-of-two represented herself astatine an employment tribunal and won aft cross-examining 8 witnesses.

Morrisons says it is considering an appeal.

Ms Patterson said she hopes her lawsuit helps others successful akin situations.

In an exclusive interrogation with BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Ms Patterson, who was a purchaser successful Morrisons' online business, said she had been offered a caller relation successful the business, but erstwhile she told bosses she was large the occupation "disappeared".

While connected maternity permission the supermarket restructured her department, she said, and erstwhile she returned to enactment she was asked to instrumentality connected full-time role, contempt being a part-time subordinate of staff.

Ms Patterson said she was told she could bash the occupation successful her allotted hours, telling the BBC she was told to "prioritise things a spot amended and get your caput successful the close spot and get your mindset right".

"I conscionable felt similar I was banging my caput against a ceramic wall, that cipher was listening to me," she said.

After being "called out" for "things not being finished connected time", Ms Patterson filed a grievance and went done the company's interior process, which she said "just wholly failed me".

Left with nary different option, Ms Patterson said she handed her announcement successful and began searching for solicitors to correspond her astatine an employment tribunal.

However, erstwhile she discovered the cheapest practice was £300 per hour, she decided to spell it alone.

"What I wanted was to show to Morrisons what had happened, and what had gone wrong, and however I had been failed," she said.

With the assistance of Pregnant Then Screwed, a foundation that seeks to protect, enactment and beforehand the rights of large women and mothers, Ms Patterson said she was capable to talk to Heather Larkin, who represented herself and won against quality institution Liz Earle aft she was sacked portion 8 months pregnant.

This helped her recognize what would beryllium expected successful the tribunal, starring her to transverse analyse 8 witnesses, immoderate of whom she had worked with.

"There was a mates I felt truly anxious astir due to the fact that these were radical that I had known astatine the opening of my vocation - they had supported maine and taught maine a batch astir what I cognize astir the manufacture and my job," she said.

"Others I wasn't arsenic disquieted astir due to the fact that I fundamentally disagreed with however they had treated maine and I felt similar I had been failed, truthful I besides saw it arsenic an accidental to inquire questions that had repeatedly been ignored and I knew successful the proceeding they had sworn an oath truthful they had to springiness maine answers they had antecedently avoided giving me."

On Friday 21 October, the tribunal justice ruled successful Ms Patterson's favour saying she had been "unfavourably treated" and that Morrisons had subjected her to a "detriment of indirect enactment favoritism aft her maternity leave".

"The claimant was constructively dismissed and the dismissal was unfair," the justice added.

In a connection Morrisons said welcoming mothers backmost from maternity permission successful a "thoughtful, consensual and decent mode is incredibly important to us".

"However, we don't judge that we acted successful an unfair mode successful this lawsuit and judge a fig of the facts person been misrepresented and we are considering an appeal."

Although pleased with the outcome, Ms Patterson said she recovered the full process "gruelling" and "exhausting".

"I was up until precise precocious astatine night, preparing, going done documents, and adjacent during the proceeding each time I'd spell location each evening and would beryllium drained," she said.

"I had thing near successful me, but beauteous overmuch each nighttime I would prevarication determination reasoning 'I'm gladsome I've done this'."

The mother-of-two said she had interior battles wherever she would beryllium perpetually "questioning myself" successful the pb up to the hearing.

"Some days I would think, 'yeah I've got this, this makes consciousness - there's tons of different cases that I tin notation to that person similarities to mine," she explained.

"Then different days I would conscionable deliberation 'what an world person I taken on, however tin I perchance spot this through?'"

Joeli Brearley, main enforcement of Pregnant Then Screwed, said what Ms Patterson went done "happens to thousands of women each twelvemonth but we seldom perceive astir it due to the fact that the justness strategy makes it astir intolerable to situation favoritism successful the workplace".

"All women privation is to beryllium heard. We privation employers who perceive to us, apologise erstwhile they get it wrong, and past bash what is indispensable to guarantee it doesn't hap again," she added.

"We are arrogant to person supported Donna done this ordeal. She is brave and tenacious and we anticipation the publicity of this lawsuit volition beryllium a informing motion to different companies reasoning they tin get distant with discriminating against large women and caller mothers successful the workplace."