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Nelson woman's discrimination claim over 'pin-up' pictures in Blackburn canteen
10:08pm Tuesday 20th May 2008
By Tom Moseley »
A woman has launched a claim for damages after claiming pictures of scantily-clad woman in the staff canteen amounted to sexual discrimination.
Sue Dale will be in line for tens of thousands of pounds if she wins her case against beauty giant Sally Hair and Beauty Supplies.
The 53-year-old, who worked in the firm's warehouse on the Whitebirk industrial estate, claimed pictures from tabloid newspapers, including the Daily Sport, pinned up by colleagues were offensive when she gave evidence at an employment tribunal.
Miss Dale, who was sacked by the firm in 2006, also claimed co-workers used playing cards with pornographic pictures and brought porn DVDs to work, with one worker bringing in material from Sweden.
The three-day hearing in Manchester finished today and the verdict will be revealed in the next two weeks.
Today a former director of the firm gave evidence and said he could only remember one time Miss Dale, of Berkeley Street in Nelson, had complained about the copies of the Daily Sport pinned up in the warehouse.
Ian Carson said: "I was leaving the gents and she shouted out that lot should be banned'. I told her it was a daily newspaper.
"I believe she was offering a personal opinion, and she didn't pursue it."
Cross-examining Mr Carson Lee Cuttell, Miss Dale's advocate, said: "Principally it was the newspapers she complained about, showing scantilly-clad women in knickers with no bras on.
"Would you agree that was in those papers?"
Mr Carson replied: "In virtually every national tabloid newspaper there are scantilly-clad women and men.
"I remain of the opinion that a daily paper is a daily paper."
He said he would have told Miss Dale to go to her line manager if she had raised a complaint.
Mr Cuttell said: "What we have here is an employee raising concerns about material she finds offensive and you did nothing.
"It's unequal treatment because she is a woman."
Mr Carson denied the claim.
In her evidence, Miss Dale had claimed she had told Mr Carson some members of staff were bringing "bottom shelf pornography" to work, and claimed she had been told to raise the matter in writing.
But Mr Carson said he could not remember the meeting, and "absolutely denied" making a lewd remark to Miss Dale when she raised complaints.
He said one man had brought a pornographic magazine in and had been disciplined, and said he was aware some items were being brought in from "a Nordic country".
He added: "Offensive material should not, in any way shape or form, be in the workplace."
Mr Carson, a former site replenishment director who has since left the company, said he and Miss Dale had been "soulmates", but claimed she would sometimes 'explode' in public and use expletives.
Miss Dale, who was first employed as a store picker, was given a formal written warning in January 2006 and sacked in August 2006 following a written complaint from another member of staff, he said.
Sally Beauty, which makes products including hair curlers and bikini wax, has branches all over the world.
Your Say YourTelegraph
Dave, Darwen says...
10:16am Wed 21 May 08
BLT, Blackburn says...
10:49am Wed 21 May 08
I cannot honestly believe that cases such as this are still being trawled out in the 21st century,as Dave,Darwen commented,she should have stuck up a few posters of musle-bound males and waited to see if the blokes complained.
All I see here is a bitter woman with an axe to grind against men,with the added bonus of a nice fat pay-off...
Merlin, The Voice of Reason, Ramsbottom says...
10:58am Wed 21 May 08
If the blokes were just reading the newspaper, even it was The Daily Sport, then they were just reading a daily newspaper. She should get a life.
Men have been looking at and capturing the naked female form since caveman times and it will not change.
The words: "silly old cow" come to mind.
And a compensation-chasing hypocritical bitter one too!
jcb, says...
11:57am Wed 21 May 08
jd, colne says...
12:48pm Wed 21 May 08
She is no prude I can assure you, Sally Hair & Beauty are merely un-proffessional & underhand and wanted rid of a hard worker who speaks her mind.
I didn't realise that this story was about her looks? Take a look at your own ugly mugs!
With regards to the pay out, she doesnt need the money. She is a woman of principles and if I were in her position I would do the same thing.
Danny, somewhere over the rainbow says...
1:22pm Wed 21 May 08
As someone pointed out earlier, why didnt she put up some male model pictures. Im sure that nobody would have complained or kicked off a fuss like this woman has.
*Buy one, get one free on Marrows *
jhwklvr, Across the ocean says...
2:11pm Wed 21 May 08
jd, colne says...
2:11pm Wed 21 May 08
If it was a man in this position standing up to a big company for sexual discrimination, he would be getting a pat on the back. Because its a woman, she is seen as a prude. get a grip love
lil me, NO WHERE NEAR YOU says...
2:38pm Wed 21 May 08
anyway sounds like it was needed in the first place coz who else would be able to work in a place where theres people like her without a distraction?
if i were a bloke i couldnt!
Haggis, North of Manchester says...
2:48pm Wed 21 May 08
jd wrote:Can I kick you off your soap box for a moment? Obviously you know the 'lady' in question? Surely such companies have policies and procedures in place to stop these things getting this far?Clearly at least one of her workmates understood these ...to get her out of the door. Clearly this doesn't stop some people from jumping on the 'no blame no claim' bandwagon and hitting employers where it hurts, which makes things tougher for the rest of us. I wonder which tabloid paper Ms. Dale favours?
The words arrogant halfwits spring to mind. The case obviously goes much deeper than what you have read in the paper so rather than making pathetic comments on a subject you know a small fraction about I suggest you keep quiet. She is no prude I can assure you, Sally Hair & Beauty are merely un-proffessional & underhand and wanted rid of a hard worker who speaks her mind. I didn't realise that this story was about her looks? Take a look at your own ugly mugs! With regards to the pay out, she doesnt need the money. She is a woman of principles and if I were in her position I would do the same thing.
jd, says...
2:50pm Wed 21 May 08
Joke, no where near here says...
2:51pm Wed 21 May 08
Haggis, North of Manchester says...
2:54pm Wed 21 May 08
justice, preston says...
3:51pm Wed 21 May 08
cypruslad, cyprus says...
4:36pm Wed 21 May 08
justice wrote:Get real.
This is crazy,i think we are missing the point.The lady obviously has a good case and it must go alot lot deeper.I think she is very brave to voice her oppinions.Why should she have to look at things she's uncomfortable about!And ask yourself is there a reason for why shes so uncomfortable about them? im disgusted at some of the statements that you've wrote,hence the things that are obviously on your top of the list is MONEY as thats all you seem to keep mentioning......oh and looks...when did looks come into fair and equal opportunities.you disgust me,were you a bully at school?do you read all the pages of a newspaper and see the consequences after the actions of bullies....its not nice i assure you.so think long and hard before you judge.theres two sides to every story.
Wake up and smell the coffee.
Shes in it for the money.
jhall, nelson says...
4:38pm Wed 21 May 08
justice, preston says...
6:03pm Wed 21 May 08
ies etc that had the Sport newspaper and Pinup Calenders 21000. out of 25000 said they were uncomfortable around such things.i agree with yes men have been looking at this kind of material since the cavemen,and people should move on with times.But in those days or earlier eira men had respect and if they were looking at such things they did it in there own time and place.NOT IN A WORK ENVIRONMENT WHERE SOMEBODY HAD VOICED THERE OPINION THAT THEY WERE UNCOMFORTABLE BY IT.i know that the kind of material mentioned would most definately not be allowed in my work force.and im sure i could name alot of other businesses that wouldnt allow aswell.also theres many cases that males have fort and won regarding sexual discrimination at work, again equal rights etc.i just feel people are being judgmental towards the lady and very hurtfull.
Telling it as it is, Blackburn says...
6:45pm Wed 21 May 08
mrs w, nelson says...
6:48pm Wed 21 May 08
unknown, darwen says...
7:16pm Wed 21 May 08
kit, burnley says...
7:35pm Wed 21 May 08
Father Xmas, Lapland says...
11:41pm Wed 21 May 08
d holmes, preston says...
8:12am Thu 22 May 08
KJ, Brierfield says...
10:55am Thu 22 May 08
Danny, Accistan says...
12:58pm Thu 22 May 08
kit wrote:After reading this i dont think anybody would ever employ her. then again if you were an employer, would you?
i pity the next person to employ this woman she obviously out to cause trouble and make herself lots of money in the process
Dug her own grave
kath, burnley says...
1:22pm Thu 22 May 08
Danny, Accistan says...
1:58pm Thu 22 May 08
*Theres always someone worse off than you, lady.*
Forshame!!!
jahover, bangladesh says...
2:23pm Thu 22 May 08
S, BBurn says...
2:32pm Thu 22 May 08
It's not very ladylike to "burstout with expletives" is it now? Can pictures taken from daily newspapers honestly be taken as "harassment"? Just because the lads decided to swop around a couple of dvds she got offended? Was she forced to watch them? No.
She's in it for nothing but the money.
mrs w, nelson says...
7:13pm Thu 22 May 08
Mr Bannister, Burnley says...
9:39pm Thu 22 May 08
Is this the lady in questions first dispute??? I doubt it very much. My wife runs her own business and will not employ anyone other than her own family because of such folk! YES SHE IS SCARED! But we know that such parasites live and breath and make a living on doing just what this parasite is doing.
Sofia, says...
10:32pm Sun 25 May 08
Hellboy, Feminist A**ehole Hell... says...
3:50pm Tue 27 May 08
Sofia wrote:I detect a 'strong' female has wrote this comment(for the term 'Strong' read 'Woman who's husband left her for a far better,younger woman,thus turning said female to Lesbianism...')
Women are not just mere objects to be perverd on by disgusting overweight middle aged men!! Hope she gets a big payout, she deserves it after what she has had to look at!!
Get over yourself,woman. It is quite obvious that you must her lady-friend,and it is financially advatageous for you to write such an anti-male,inane comment...
Danny, Accrington says...
9:57am Thu 29 May 08
Sofia wrote:She deserves f*ck all!
Women are not just mere objects to be perverd on by disgusting overweight middle aged men!! Hope she gets a big payout, she deserves it after what she has had to look at!!
I told you what she deserves last time, but my post was deleted. and SHE didnt need to look at anything, assuming she has the same human reaction such as closing ones eyes, or turning you neck, or even lowering your head. And erm, women that consent to showing their bodies to the public are being PAYED to be objects of desire. If they didnt want to do so, then they wouldnt pose nude would they?
I thank you
ste, blackburn says...
7:11pm Thu 29 May 08
kay, scotland says...
5:48pm Fri 30 May 08
justice, preston says...
12:30pm Sat 31 May 08
ex sally employee, nelson says...
12:36pm Sat 31 May 08
ex sally employee 2, north yorks says...
8:34pm Tue 3 Jun 08
*BuRnLeY GiRl*, burnley says...
11:12am Sat 7 Jun 08
j, bburn says...
4:57pm Fri 13 Jun 08
Haggis, North of Manchester says...
4:17pm Wed 25 Jun 08
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CANTEEN ANGER: Sue Dale complained to her bosses about pictures from the Daily Sport being pinned to the wall in the canteen at Sally Hair and Beauty Supplies
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