Claimant v Scottish Water

Outcome

Facts

The claimant, a Corporate Affairs Officer at Scottish Water, brought a victimisation claim alleging her line manager Ms Reid had ignored and ostracised her following an equal pay claim she raised in July 2022. The claimant had raised a grievance in March 2023 alleging bullying and victimisation. The tribunal heard evidence about workplace interactions between November 2022 and March 2023, including a heated discussion on 29 March 2023 where Ms Reid told the claimant she would be a liar if she maintained she was being excluded. The claimant had taken contemporaneous notes of various meetings which she said showed a pattern of exclusion, though these were not disclosed until the hearing.

Decision

The tribunal dismissed the claim. The judge found that the alleged detriments of ignoring, ostracising and being curt with the claimant were not established on the evidence. Ms Reid had maintained a professional working relationship throughout. While calling the claimant a liar was a detriment, this was not because of the protected acts (the equal pay claim or grievance) but because Ms Reid genuinely believed the claimant was being untruthful about being excluded. The protected acts had no significant influence on the treatment.

Practical note

Legal authorities cited