伦敦金融城女银行家起诉HBOS性别歧视
Woman banker set to sue HBOS for £11m
一位高级女银行家将提起性别歧视和非法解雇讼,状告英国最大的按揭和储蓄服务供应商HBOS,要求该银行赔偿逾1100万英镑。此前她声称,她试图重回办公室时,实际上被公司解雇了。
A senior female banker is set to sue HBOS for more than £11m in a sex discrimination and wrongful dismissal case after claiming she was, in effect, sacked when she tried to return to her desk.
该行资产债务管理业务负责人克莱尔•布莱特(Claire Bright)3个月前被停职。昨天她来到位于伦敦金融城的HBOS总部,与几位高层发生了冲突。
Claire Bright, who was head of asset and liability management at the country’s largest mortgage and savings provider, confronted bosses yesterday when she arrived at HBOS headquarters in the City having been suspended three months ago.
布莱特女士今年47岁,她每年的薪酬方案约为60万英镑。她声称,她与一位男性高级同事发生冲突后,得到了不公正的对待。
Ms Bright, 47, whose earnings package was about £600,000 a year, claims she was treated unfairly following a clash with a senior male colleague.
在被停职3个月后,伦敦金融城的这位银行家来到HBOS的办公室,决心彻底解决这一争端。上午11点不到,她现身并告诉在场等待的记者,她已被解雇。
After spending three months on suspension, the City banker arrived at HBOS offices determined to bring the dispute to a head. Shortly before 11am, she emerged to tell waiting reporters that she had been dismissed.
她的律师吉莲•霍华德(Gillian Howard)表示,公司不许布莱特女士重返办公室工作,她此前已向伦敦斯特拉特福德就业法庭提交性别歧视和受害赔偿要求,并将增加诉讼事由,起诉公司非法解雇和不公正解雇。
Gillian Howard, her lawyer, said Ms Bright had been stopped from returning to work and would add actions for wrongful dismissal and unfair dismissal to her claim for sex discrimination and victimisation already filed with Stratford employment tribunal in London.
HBOS银行承认,布莱特女士提出了“与性别歧视指控相关的抱怨”,并已按照公司程序进行处理,银行将该程序描述为“全面有力的”。
HBOS acknowledged that “a grievance relating to allegations of sex discrimination” had been brought by Ms Bright and dealt with under company procedures, which it described as “vigorous and comprehensive”.
公司表示:“公司程序已经完成,布莱特女士的指控没有得到支持。”
“That process has been completed and Ms Bright’s allegations have not been upheld,” the company said.
HBOS银行继续表示,这位银行家此前与HBOS国债部的高级经理会面,并受到了礼貌的对待。“她仍是公司雇员,”公司表示。该银行补充道,在任何法庭听证会上,它将就自己的立场进行“有力的辩护”。
HBOS went on to say that the banker had met senior bosses from HBOS Treasury and been treated with courtesy. “She remains an employee of the company,” it said. The bank added that it would “vigorously defend” its position at any tribunal hearing.
不过,在HBOS总部外面,霍华德女士表示:“他们毫无根据地解雇了我的委托人。现在我们要返回我的办公室提起诉讼。”
But outside HBOS headquarters, Ms Howard said: “They dismissed my client without any reason. We are now going back to my office to issue proceedings.