Home Office pays £1 million in compensation to civil servants in discrimination case

NEARLY 50 civil servants who said they were discriminated against due to their age and ethnicity have been granted more than £1 million in compensation following a tribunal hearing.

The 49 claimants said they were asked to take a Core Skills Assessment (CSA) if they wanted to be considered for promotion. They all subsequently failed the assessment.

Unions claim that success rates for black or minority ethnic (BME) workers or those older than 35 taking the assessment have been significantly lower than that of other employees.

The Home Office staff were advised that the CSA was discriminatory because of its disproportionate adverse effect.

The Home Office settled the case on February 27, halfway through the hearing, without admission of liability.

Kate Lea, the executive at Thompsons Solicitors who acted for the applicants, said: “While the settlement represents a fantastic result for each claimant and the union, it is disappointing that the Home Office has not offered an apology for continuing to operate discriminatory systems, which was internally acknowledged as being incapable of justification.”

The Guardian reported that the Home Office no longer uses CSAs.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Home Office is committed to providing fair and equal opportunity for all of its employees.”