A woman is suing Edinburgh Council for sexual discrimination after claiming her male colleagues were given the day off for a derby football match, but she was not.
Mrs T Nelson, who works as a driver for Seafield Street Cleansing Department, appeared in front of a judge at the Edinburgh tribunal court on Tuesday March 21.
She claims her request to attend the Hearts vs Hibs Scottish cup tie in April last year was refused, despite her male colleagues being awarded the time.
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She is further suing the council after claiming she suffered a detriment and/or dismissal due to exercising rights under the Public Interest Disclosure Act.
Hearts defeated ten man Hibs 2-1 at Tynecastle on April 16 2022 before the boys in maroon went on to lose the cup final against Rangers at Hampden.
As well as raising a claim of sexual discrimination during the tribunal, she alleged a failure of Edinburgh Council to follow work place protocols and said she felt she was 'bullied'.
Mrs Nelson also claimed that a proper return to work form had not been completed when she returned to work two weeks after injuring her hand on the job. She told the court she was then asked to work in the vehicle that she had suffered the in-work injury in by a superior.
The claimant said she had been off work for a number of months due to stress and anxiety brought on by the issues she claims to have faced in the workplace. She said she wanted it “all to stop” and that she felt “humiliated” by the whole ordeal.
Mrs Nelson also alleged that a protected disclosure she made had been shared with those she had made a complaint against. When pressed by the judge to provide concrete evidence to prove this, she responded that she was unable to do so at that time.
She reiterated she felt the council had failed in their duty of care towards her as an employee and that she had been mistreated throughout the whole process. Mrs Nelson added that she was “looking for the truth” to come out following her allegations.
However the solicitor representing the council refuted the accusations and cited a number of previous cases that supported their position that the claims should be struck out.
Employment judge Amanda Jones said that she felt as though the case had not been “laid out in any great detail” by the claimant.
Mrs Nelson added that she felt as though the council wanted her to walk away but she feels that she cannot until she has a “clear conscience.”
She said that she was no longer being paid and was not receiving benefits but was reliant upon her husband for support.
The judge said that there would be no oral judgement on the day but that there will be a written judgement provided in the next fortnight.
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