A six-figure settlement has been awarded to a Setfords client due to stress at work
he endured whilst employed as a manufacturing operative.

Our client commenced working as a manufacturing operative at this company around August 2015. Around a year after he joined, a colleague, RT, asked our client for a lift home. Our client agreed as he saw it as an act of kindness to a colleague.

Following this, RT continued to press our client to continue providing him with a lift home. It rapidly escalated into coercion and intimidation amounting to harassment. RT started practically forcing our client to wait for him to finish work and give him a lift home, using foul language and aggression to force our client to do so.

Understandably, our client felt uncomfortable by this behaviour and reported it to a manager. This manager told our client to stop providing RT with a lift, and did not intervene any further.

In September 2016, our client found the courage to stand up to RT and told him he could no longer give him a lift home. RT walked home that day but the next day, shouted at our client in front of colleagues.

From October to November 2016, RT continuously harassed our client by intimidating him and making racist and derogatory comments. The escalation of this behaviour caused our client to report RT again but his aggravated RT, and caused him to abuse and intimidate our client even further.

On one occasion, RT punched our client in the stomach. This final straw led our client to approach his union representative and a meeting was arranged with his line leader. His line leader sent further emails to our client’s shift manager and a further manager asking for an investigation, but again, nothing was done. By this time, our client was very distressed and submitted a grievance on 30^th November 2016. Notwithstanding, RT continued to constantly swear at our client when they were alone.

Ultimately, our client became unwell and was signed off work with depression and anxiety in January 2017 for a period of three months. As a result of our client’s complaints, RT was dismissed around April 2017.

Our client approached Setfords to assist him in his claim. Court proceedings were served on 12^th February 2020. A Defence was served on 11^th March 2020 neither admitting nor denying any of the allegations. A Joint Settlement Meeting was held on 17^th November 2021 and the case ultimately settled for a six figure sum.