A Ukranian Asda sales assistant has won £63,000 for racial harassment after she was picked on by her cruel bosses who 'singled her out' because of her nationality.
An employment tribunal has found that Svitlana Henderson, who had worked at Asda for 15 years before she resigned, faced a five-month campaign of abuse and harassment as the only non-British member of the team at the store in Accrington, Lancashire.
Hard-working but 'quiet' Mrs Henderson, was shouted at by her manager over her footwear, shoes with pink soles - while her British colleagues got away with it and didn't get told off.
The loyal Asda worker was threatened, denied breaks, not included in team huddles, subjected to 'nasty' comments, and left to work in cold chillers for more than five hours.
In a damning ruling at the Manchester Employment Tribunal, a judge found that section leader at the Asda store, Mark Bates, viewed her as an 'easy target' as 'he knew she was Ukrainian and that her cultural work ethic made her subservient to her managers'.
Section leader Fozia Khan, who shouted at Mrs Henderson for wearing black shoes with pink soles, decided to pick on her rather than English colleagues who breached the dress code because she knew she wouldn't resist it.
Mrs Henderson suffered mental health issues as a result of the harassment and 'has lost her confidence and is now in a vulnerable position'.
Ukrainian Asda sales assistant Svitlana Henderson has won £63,000 for race harassment who faced a five-month campaign of abuse at her workplace of 15 years in Accrington, Lancashire (pictured)
After being driven to tearfully resign, Mrs Henderson successfully sued Asda for racial harassment and constructive unfair dismissal.
The supermarket giant even tried to get the ruling overturned - but Employment Judge Jennifer Ainscough rejected it and said it was a 'most serious case'.
Now, Mrs Henderson has won just over £63,000.
The Manchester Employment Tribunal heard Mrs Henderson worked for Asda from September 2003 until she resigned in May 2019.
Mrs Henderson, who worked at Asda in Blackburn, Lancashire, before moving to Accrington, had a strong work ethic.
However, between January 2019 and when she resigned in May 2019, she suffered the campaign of harassment - but despite reporting it every two weeks no action was taken and she lost all trust.
The tribunal heard she was given 'workloads that were impossible to complete' and on one occasion had to work alone in the chiller area for more than five hours.
Mr Bates
