In a landmark case, Stacey Macken, 50, was awarded almost £2.1 million (S$3.8 million) for victimisation and discrimination. The ex-banker’s payout is one of the highest ever given on the basis of unequal pay because of gender.
She sued the French investment bank BNP Paribas after being subjected to years of sexual discrimination and lower wages than her male colleagues, a UK employment tribunal heard.
The tribunal also pointed out in a report that the former finance specialist had “prioritised her 22-year career in banking over other lifestyle choices. This includes remaining single and not having children.
She enjoyed her work and was fulfilled by it. Other than keeping her personal fitness at a high level she pursued no other hobbies or interests.”
At the tribunal, one of her bosses, Mr Denis Pihan, who regularly dismissed her by saying “Not now, Stacey,” apologised for “causing distress” but “did not acknowledge that he personally discriminated against Miss Macken, nor did he apologise for discriminating against her,” The Guardian reported.
The phrase, “Not now, Stacey,” went on to become a type of workplace catchphrase.
Her colleagues earned hundreds of thousands of pounds in paycheques and bonuses more than she did.
While her annual salary was £120,000 (S$219,000) in her position as a finance specialist, a man who worked the same job as Ms Macken earned £160,000 (S$292,000), she later learned.
Additionally, she claimed that her male bosses targeted her with unfair treatment.
One day, she found a “large Halloween-style black witch’s hat” when she arrived at work.
A woman who had worked as a personal assistant at BNP Paribas testified that the hat appeared on Ms Macken’s desk after some drunk colleagues—all males—had returned to the office the night before.
The discovery of the hat left Ms Macken obviously upset, the assistant added.
Ms Georgina Chapman, a former assistant to Mr Matthew Pinnock, one of the bank’s bosses, told the court about the day the witch’s hat appeared in front of Ms Macken’s computer, The Independent reported.
“In October 2013, a large Halloween-style black witch’s hat was left on Stacey Macken’s desk after some of the prime brokerage team, including Matthew Pinnock, had gone drinking at the pub towards the end of the day.
Stacey was visibly upset and confided in me that she felt really uncomfortable working with those male colleagues, knowing that one of them had purposefully gone out of their way to leave a witch’s hat on her desk.”
In 2019, an employment tribunal called the incident “an inherently sexist act.”
And at Ms Macken’s compensation hearing, one of the judges said that the tribunal panel found that two of her superiors “behaved spitefully and vindictively towards Ms Macken because she had raised concerns about her pay and that they did have a discriminatory motive.”
In turn, the bank acknowledged that it had “fell short in our duty to Ms Macken”. /TISG
Read also: Majority of perpetrators of sexual harassment at work suffer no consequences — AWARE
Majority of perpetrators of sexual harassment at work suffer no consequences — AWARE