Update

Posted 18 June 2020.

Lest I am accused of jumping on the bandwagon, the initial pages of my blog were posted in April 2020 - before the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests. 

I am not alleging institutional racism and I am not saying that UK is a racist country.  My complaints were about discrimination and victimisation. And as stated in both of my claims, numbers 3200656/2015 and 3202219/2016. 

This blog is about me, about my own personal experience at London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.  To show that people tasked with dealing with racism in the workplace often do not understand the different forms racism take.  And that opinions differ as to whether black people can discriminate against and victimise one another. 

Also I wish to flag up how white people manipulate black people and use black people against each other.  And show that black people themselves,  do not always treat each other fairly and equally,  and  that they treat each other without care, without empathy and without compassion. 

About Claim number 3200656/2015

This was my first claim.  The hearing was before a white male Employment Judge and two white members. They found that two black female colleagues of Jamaican origins victimised me - in other words, a black employee can victimise a black employee.

The hearing was in July 2016.  The reserved judgment was dated 19 August 2016.  It was not published online.  I  chose to publish the judgement with my initial blog in April 2020.

About Claim number 3202219/2016

This was my second claim.  The hearing was before a black female Employment Judge, (I believe her to be of a West Indian origin), and two white members. They found that I was neither discriminated against nor victimised.

The hearing was in June 2018.  The reserved judgment and the corrected reserved judgment were published in May 2019 on www.gov.uk and on google. 

Sharon Harrington’s name was excluded from the title of the initial judgment . In addition, the initial judgment was not published. I  had to make application for Sharon Harrington’s name to be included as the second Respondent and for the reserved judgment to be published online, hence the ‘corrected reserved judgment’.

I do not know whether the West Indian Employment Judge had sought to overturn the earlier judgment in claim number 3200656/2015. In any event, she cannot.  She has no authority over other Employment Judges and her judgment is not binding on anyone. Employment Tribunal is a first tier Court. Above it are the Employment Appeal Tribunal, the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) and the Supreme Court which are the ‘Premier League’ of the British judicial system. 

About My Dismissal:

I was dismissed on 24 August 2016 after the judgment of my first claim, number 3200656/2015 was sent out to the parties by First Class Post on 23 August 2016. I received my copy on 24 August 2016. I did not have the necessary two year qualifying period of employment for an unfair dismissal claim - I needed to remain employed with the Council until 30 September 2016.

I was not alone. Prior to my dismissal, three black colleagues in the Council’s Parking Office had been dismissed. I was the fourth black employee. What we had in common were disputes with our white manager, Sharon Harrington.  I was not, in anyway, involved in my colleagues’ disputes with Sharon Harrington and I was not, in anyway,  involved in any of my colleagues’ dismissal. 

My dismissal began with Sharon Harrington instigating a redundancy process. A Ghanian colleague replaced me. There was no change in the number of employees performing the same tasks as before my dismissal

I could not take part in the redundancy process because I was unwell. Sharon Harrington turned the redundancy process to sick absence hearing. She got a male Nigerian manager involved. He had nothing to do with the Parking Services.  In contrast, I refused to get involved or to be used in relation to the dismissal of a male Nigerian colleague that I managed.  

In relation to my sick absence, I supplied ‘Fit Notes’ as my white colleagues had done. My last Fit Note dated 15 August 2016 was sent to Sharon Harrington same date. It was delivered on 16 August 2016. It expired on 29 August 2016,  i.e August Bank Holiday - a white female colleague of my age group held the sick absence record. She was not dismissed.

On 16 August 2016  I lodged a formal grievance against Sharon Harrington. And on 17 August 2016,  I requested that the sick absence hearing be postponed to 31 August 2016. My grievance and my request for postponement were rejected. The hearing went ahead in my absence on 24 August 2016. 

I returned to work on Tuesday 30 August 2016 unaware of the decision reached at the hearing. I was refused entry to the parking office and told that I had been dismissed. The dismissal letter dated 30 August 2016 was later sent to me via email.

I appealed the dismissal. I could not attend the appeal hearing because I received the papers late. I kept the HR  informed. The appeal hearing too went ahead in my absence. My dismissal was upheld. 

About Jacqui O’Brien:

I knew Jacqui O’Brien as “Jacquie O’Brien”. I am not mistaken and I am not insane. I stand by what I said at the hearing in June 2018 and the information I supplied in relation to my appeal. I say no more about Jacquie O’Brien at this time.