Former Halfords employee speaks out after being racially abused

Christopher Best won an employment tribunal after being compared to a ‘monkey crying for bananas’

Halfords signage
Photo: Bigstock

A former Halfords employee has won an employment tribunal after arguing that he was discriminated against on the grounds of his ethnicity.

The tribunal found that Christopher Best was subjected to racial abuse for over year, with his manager, Mr Pillay, comparing him to a “monkey crying for bananas” and telling staff he didn’t care about being a racist.

In an interview with The Independent, Mr Best, who worked as a service sales advisor at the Brixton branch of Halfords for nearly a decade, said: “Mr Pillay’s actions breached the store’s own policies on gross misconduct, so, to me, it stands to reason that he should be sacked.

“During the period of time that I suffered abuse from Mr Pillay, I felt victimised, angry and violated. There were times when I felt like I wanted to explode but I kept a cap on it, mindful of the consequences of being seen as a troublemaker.

“It’s disgusting that even in 2023, we still come across people who behave like Mr Pillay.”

Mr Best turned down an out-of-court settlement worth a five-figure sum to take Halfords to court, but is shocked to discover that Mr Pillay is still employed by the company.

“How can justice have been achieved when Mr Pillay is still working there? When it comes to equality within corporate organisations, I don’t think there’s any denying that Black people fare worse than other ethnic groups,“ he said.

Mr Best was awarded £5,000 for “injury to feelings”, while Mr Pillay was found to have breached the Equality Act by harassing his colleague.

This isn’t the first time Halfords has been accused of racial discrimination. The company is also being sued for £1 million by a former employee.

Source: The Independent

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