The woman, who was referred to only as AB during tribunal hearings, was hit by a car on the day she was due to start work with NatWest in Croydon in 2008. She suffered a broken leg and damage to her knee ligaments. There was also permanent nerve damage, which left her disabled and needing to wear a foot splint.
AB started working two months after the accident as a customer services officer. However, her injuries caused her pain throughout her employment at several branches of the bank between 2008 and 2014.
During this time, she said she was subjected to abuse from colleagues who shouted at her and called her stupid and made her feel that her disability made her “worthless” and of no help to customers.
She also claimed that the bank made her work on the till, which was difficult for her because of her disability. It failed to provide her with adequate occupational therapy and adjust her workstation to meet her needs.
She was diagnosed as suffering from severe depression, which she said was caused by the bullying at work.
AB resigned in 2014 and brought more than 60 allegations of harassment and disability discrimination to the Employment Tribunal. She claimed she had suffered psychiatric injury which prevented her from working and required her having round the clock care.
The tribunal found in her favour.
It accepted her claims that she had been coerced into accepting a demotion from customer adviser to customer services officer and had been denied a transfer to another branch because of her disabilities, leaving her feeling humiliated.
It held that Nat West had failed to make reasonable adjustments for her disability. The bullying and preventing her transfer to another bank amounted to discrimination and constructive dismissal.
The Royal Bank of Scotland, which owns Nat West, was ordered to pay her £4,724,801in compensation and to cover ongoing care.
The Employment Appeal Tribunal upheld that decision.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the issues raised in this article. collins@collinslaw.co.uk
Nat West bank worker bullied over disability awarded £4.7m
Royal Bank of Scotland plc and AB
Employment Appeal Tribunal
Mr Justice Swift
February 2020
