A woman who was sexually harassed at a work Christmas party has been awarded £18,857 by an industrial tribunal.
Shirley Lyons worked as a designer/sales consultant with Starplan in Portadown from June 2013 until April 2018.
Ms Lyons’ complaints of sexual harassment and victimisation were partially upheld.
Read more: Northern Ireland Equality Commission case sees woman get £90k for sexual harassment
The tribunal panel found her claim of unfair dismissal was well founded but other claims were not upheld.
Her case was supported by the Equality Commission. The tribunal was told that Ms Lyons had enjoyed a good relationship at work with her colleagues.
She was the only female employee, along with six male staff, to attend the company’s Christmas party in Starplan’s Portadown showroom on December 16, 2017.
Ms Lyons said that when the party moved on to a restaurant, she was subjected to unwanted sexual attention from one of her male colleagues, Neville Grattan.
The tribunal found he had made comments about Ms Lyons’ breasts and cleavage and hugged her from behind without her consent. He also suggested to her they might have an affair and touched her bottom in the restaurant.
The tribunal was “satisfied that these matters amount to both verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature”. It did not uphold other complaints by her against Mr Grattan.
The tribunal was told that on December 20, 2017, Ms Lyons reported to her line manager Beverley Donaghy that she had been sexually harassed by Mr Grattan.
Seven days later, she lodged a formal written grievance.
The tribunal upheld a number of complaints from Ms Lyons that she had been victimised by Ms Donaghy and two other colleagues, Mark Weatherill and John Neville, following her complaint.
Ms Lyons resigned from the company in April 2018.
The case was heard in 2018 but, following an appeal by Ms Lyons, an anonymity order was revoked in January 2023.
Ms Lyons said: “I am pleased the case is now over, this has put huge pressure on me and my family and I’m so thankful for their support.”
The full Industrial Tribunal report can be viewed here.
READ MORE:
- Co Armagh woman sexually harassed by employer as teen awarded £54k
- Woman who faced sexual harassment in workplace wins £18,000 at employment tribunal
- Dad welcomes GAA initiative to tackle gambling after losing son to suicide
- Northern Ireland weather warning issued for heavy rain across the region
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
