A Ghanaian employee of the U.K. National Health Service has been ordered to pay £1,425 after an employment tribunal found that repeatedly referring to a colleague as “auntie” amounted to harassment.

The case involved Ilda Esteves, 61, a healthcare assistant with the West London NHS Trust, who testified that she found the term offensive and had asked her colleague, Charles Oppong, to stop using it. Mr. Oppong, employed at St Bernard’s Hospital, defended the use of the term as a common expression of respect toward older women in Ghanaian culture.

The tribunal, however, concluded that his conduct created an offensive working environment. Employment Judge George Alliott said, “We find that Charles Oppong’s purpose was probably an offensive attempt at humour. It was reasonable for Ms. Esteves to perceive it as creating an offensive environment.”
The ruling also cited other remarks by Mr. Oppong, including a suggestion that Ms. Esteves would be “a good match” for another older staff member, which the tribunal said contributed to the harassment claim. While Mr. Oppong acknowledged using the term once, he denied repeated use; the tribunal described his testimony as “evasive and vague.”

Claims of discrimination, victimisation, and unlawful deduction of wages brought by Ms. Esteves were dismissed, but the tribunal upheld the harassment complaint on grounds of age and sex. Judge Alliott noted that while “auntie” may be respectful in Ghanaian culture, its continued use against Ms. Esteves’s wishes rendered it inappropriate and offensive in the workplace.

Source:TheDotNews