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Cabin crew manager 'bullied for being gay'
Rashid Razaq23 Sep 2008
A gay former British Airways cabin crew manager endured years of bullying including taunts about his sexuality, an employment tribunal heard today.
During his 19-year career with BA, David Andersson-Wood, 45, of Richmond, said he was overlooked for promotion and received desultory pay rises and minimal bonuses despite performing well in his £47,000-a-year job.
The tribunal panel in Reading heard how conditions in Mr Andersson-Wood's job deteriorated in 2000 when fleet manager Ann Brown took over as his boss.
He contacted Ms Brown, who no longer works for BA, to discuss harassment he was receiving after investigating a rape case between two BA cabin crew in 1999. "[She said] I should stop being a 'drama queen'. I asked her what she meant. She said: 'Your lot over-dramatise everything'." She allegedly later said she found his sexual practices distasteful.
When Mr Andersson-Wood filed two complaints upon finding his pay rises and bonuses were lower than those of immediate colleagues, he was allegedly told by a human resources manager: "If you want a market level of pay, go and work for a pharmaceutical company."
BA is denying the claim for unfair constructive dismissal, discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, sexual discrimination and equal pay discrimination. The hearing continues.
