Married civil servant told trainee she had ‘magnificent’ nipples and then SUED for sexism when given final warning
A cheeky senior civil servant told a colleague she had “magnificent nipples” - and then tried to sue for sex discrimination.
The married boss - in his 50s - made the crude remark to a young trainee at a work bash.
When she yelled ‘how the f*** do you know’, the pervy manager claimed he’d seen them through her top.
He also told the new recruit: “If I get you moved on to his team, it wouldn’t be because of your massive tits”.
The manager - who cannot be named - was handed a final written warning over the offensive remarks. But he then tried to sue for sex discrimination - claiming that a woman wouldn’t have been punished for similar conduct.
The trainee - who was two pay bands beneath her manager - said she was left sickened by the comment.
She told am employment tribunal: “I was shocked and disturbed that a senior officer would make such a blatant personal and sexist remark to a junior member of staff."
“He is old enough to be my father and I felt sickened by his comments and the thought that he had been looking at my chest made me cringe.”
'SHOCKING BEHAVIOUR'
The manager denied using the phrase “magnificent nipples” but admitted making comments about the woman’s breasts. He claimed his offensive language was “very run-of-the-mill for a social event”.
After the Christmas party, a whistleblower raised the alarm with bosses in an anonymous email.
They wrote: “Some of the things that went on show exactly why so many people feel bullied and harassed in our office yet do not feel that they can complain to anyone because nothing will be done."
“We feel that this cannot be brushed under the carpet like so many other issues by the management in Newcastle. It is shocking behaviour from a senior officer using his position as power over a trainee. This is a serious sexist comment and is sexual harassment and bullying from a manager.”
Claims brought by the manager for age and sex discrimination were thrown out this month. The employment tribunal in Newcastle said bosses did nothing wrong in handing down a final written warning.
Judge Pamela Arullendran said the government department was “reasonably entitled to come to the conclusion that the claimant was guilty of gross misconduct”.
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She said: “It is not surprising that the respondent found that the claimant’s conduct amounted to sexual harassment given the his admission that he did make comments to female staff about their breasts at the office Christmas party.”
It is not known if the manager still works at the facility on Tyneside.
His union rep bizarrely claimed there “may be circumstances where it is appropriate for a manager to comment on a junior employee’s nipples depending on the context”.
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