A black lawyer who was employed as the City of London Corporation’s first director of equality, diversity and inclusion has brought a claim against the organisation for race discrimination after she was dismissed 10 months into the role.
Saida Bello told a tribunal hearing on Wednesday that “there is institutional racism entrenched deeply in the City of London Corporation” and claimed that almost 200 other employees of colour had also made complaints.
Bello said she had a spreadsheet compiled internally of names of colleagues who had made complaints to the organisation about racism.
“This is the first time this spreadsheet from 186 black and minoritised staff has been exposed,” she told the hearing. “These 186 people on the spreadsheet have tried to have a voice but clearly that hasn’t worked.”
Bello is bringing a case claiming that she was subject to direct race discrimination, harassment related to race, victimisation and whistleblowing detriment in her role.
The City of London Corporation manages the capital’s square mile as well as 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of green space including Hampstead Heath, markets such as Billingsgate, housing across London, some schools and academies, London’s Port Health Authority, the Barbican Centre and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Bello, 44, told the tribunal that when she was working for the organisation, a case was highlighted to her in which a casual worker at the Barbican had made a complaint about racism but had received no response seven months later.
On 11 January 2023 Bello sent an email about the case in the hope of getting the complaint addressed. She said that 12 days later she was told she would not be passing her probationary period.
“If you are black and you get involved in a discrimination claim you can lose your job in 12 days. I’m just one of the victims,” she told the tribunal.
“A lot of employees of colour have left over this sort of behaviour. Racism against black employees is so deeply entrenched.”
Bello told the hearing she had been offered a £10,000 payoff which she refused to take. “I shouldn’t have to lose my job because I’m doing my job – and well. That pattern of discrimination, pattern of victimisation, pattern of paying people off.”
Bello lost her job after she first lodged her employment tribunal claim. At a hearing on Wednesday, she sought to amend her claim in light of her dismissal, which came 10 months after she was hired in September 2022.
Susan Chan, representing the City of London Corporation, raised objections to Bello’s request to amend her claim, saying some of the complaints Bello wanted to add were “brand new”.
“We say it’s unnecessary to further amend the claim. She appears to be trying to litigate on behalf of hundreds of others,” Chan said.
Bello, who represented herself at the hearing, said she had been hired by the City of London Corporation to perform a new role with a remit across all of the corporation’s institutions. She said she had been brought in to set up a new governance structure to address issues of racism within the organisation.
Bello told the hearing: “These kinds of cases are quite traumatic for the person experiencing it. It has been a very distressing six months.
“I had to go to the doctor, I was signed off work for a month. I provided evidence of this to the respondent but I was dismissed while I was off sick.”
Judge Leverton, who presided over the hearing, said she would make an order at a later date relating to Bello’s request to amend her claim. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February next year.
A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation said: “We take these claims extremely seriously. In both our service delivery and employment practices, we seek to be an equitable, diverse, and inclusive organisation, where people of all ethnicities and backgrounds feel safe and welcome. It would be inappropriate to comment any further whilst this employment tribunal is ongoing.”
