A tater-tastic triumph.
In a recent racial discrimination case, an Irish woman was awarded $31,000 after enduring months of derogatory remarks from her British superior, who mocked her with terms like “potato” in a heavy Irish accent.
Bernadette Hayes, 55, described her six-month ordeal under her boss, Mick Atkins, as akin to “death by a thousand cuts,” according to the Independent.
Testifying before a UK employment tribunal, Hayes, a bookkeeper at West Leeds Civil Ltd, a civil engineering company in Leeds, recounted how her supervisor repeatedly derided her with the word “potato” and other offensive slurs such as “paddy,” “stupid paddy,” and “pikey.”
The harassment allegedly began in late 2023, as documented in court filings.
Hayes reported that Atkins made numerous racial jibes, and the situation deteriorated further when another individual joined the company. This left her feeling “physically sick” and in constant fear of being mocked, the report noted.
“This totally eroded my self-respect and my self-esteem,” she told the court, adding she was too scared to confront her “intimidating, volatile” boss.
“It made me feel small, insecure, violated and extremely anxious. It also made me feel embarrassed.”
Hayes quit her job in July 2024 after the relentless attacks left her with panic attacks and insomnia, court documents said, according to the outlet.
Judge Sophie Buckley awarded the woman the hefty sum after ruling Atkins had created a “hostile, humiliating and offensive” workplace.
“In my view, taken as a whole, it is reasonable for an individual of Irish heritage to find the repeated use of the terms ‘potato’, ‘Paddy’, ‘stupid Paddy’ and ‘pikey’ offensive and humiliating,” the judge determined.
“These phrases are overtly linked to race, particularly when considered together rather than in isolation. On that basis, I find that the conduct was linked to race.”
