REPORTER RECEIVES £42,500 SETTLEMENT FROM UTV

A FORMER television reporter has received £42,500 by Ulster Television in settlement of cases in which she alleged sex discrimination, victimisation, unfair dismissal and breaches of the Equal Pay Act.
In addition to the financial settlement Ulster Television (UTV) agreed to liaise with the Equality Commission to ensure that recruitment, promotion, pay, grievance, complaints and victimisation policies and procedures were in accordance with current equality legislation.
UTV agreed that their promotion procedures at that time may not have provided Ms. Hall with the opportunity to apply for or be considered for the post of senior journalist. They accepted that comments were made about her which were unacceptable and inappropriate, apologised to her for those comments, and stated that she was a “valued member of staff and discharged her duties at all times in a professional and efficient manner”.
Sharon Hall said she was pleased that the case had reached a successful conclusion and thanked the Equality Commission for assisting her.
Ms Hall said: “I am pleased that UTV have accepted that I was treated in an unacceptable manner and have apologised for that.
“In particular I welcome the fact that the company have agreed to work with the Equality Commission in reviewing their policies and procedures from an equality perspective. I know how hurtful and distressing it is to feel that you are being treated unfairly and that your work is undervalued because of your gender. It is not an easy option to bring a case of discrimination against your employer, and people who do so should know they are protected against unfair treatment or unfounded comments.“
Jennifer Greenfield, Director of Legal Services in the Equality Commission said that the case highlighted problems with recruitment procedures and with the treatment of people who bring complaints: “There cannot be equality of opportunity for staff unless they know that posts are available and are given the chance to apply for them. The Commission’s Code of Practice on removing sex bias from recruitment and selection recommends that all promotion opportunities should be advertised and conducted in a fair and consistent manner and that employers should guard against having informal mechanisms for promotion.
“Anyone who complains of discrimination is entitled to be treated no differently than they would have been had they not complained. Employers must ensure that all their staff, particularly senior staff, know that the law protects complainants against victimisation.” (SP)