Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Tesco employee wins unfair dismissal case

The retail giant had sacked a store manager at its Peterborough branch for gifting sex toys to a female colleague

Tesco employee wins unfair dismissal case

AN EMPLOYMENT tribunal has cleared an Asian-origin Tesco employee of misconduct and pulled up his employers for lapses while investigating the case.

The retail giant had sacked Shoaib Razaq, a store manager at its Peterborough branch, for giving a female colleague a vibrator as a “secret Santa” gift and a dildo for her birthday, The Times reports.


While dismissing Razaq, Tesco said he had abused his position to harass a woman employee.

The management took this decision even though the recipient acknowledged that the Razaq had given it to her in a “joking manner” as other staff members also handed out sex toys.

The hearing in Cambridge was told that Razaq joined Tesco in 2020 and became a store manager at the Hampton Vale Express branch, where an employee raised a grievance against him.

That complaint alleged that Razaq encouraged staff to sit on his lap in the office and that he took money from the shop’s charity tins — allegations that he denied.

Razaq told the tribunal that he was the victim of a “witch hunt” and the person who raised a grievance was a racist.

When asked about the secret Santa present, he conceded it was a terrible decision.

When Tesco bosses interviewed the woman employee whom he had gifted a sex toy, she told them that other employees also got sex toys as random gifts, but this was done in a joking manner.

She claimed she had experienced similar behaviour at other stores.

The tribunal judge, Niran de Silva KC, upheld Razaq's claim and concluded that the Tesco bosses had not properly investigated the misconduct claims.

They did not probe the specific allegations against the store manager, but dismissed him based on a general sense that Razaq's conduct was inappropriate.

A hearing to decide Razaq’s compensation will be held at a later date.

More For You

UK's weather

UK's brief spring warmth has come to an end

iStock

UK's warm spell ends as unsettled weather arrives


After Thursday saw the warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures hitting 21.3°C in Northolt, London and Chertsey, Surrey, the UK's brief spring warmth has come to an end. A change in weather patterns has brought a cooler, more unsettled outlook for the weekend and beyond.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harshita Brella
Brella, 24, was found dead in the boot of a car in Ilford, London, in November last year.
Harshita Brella

Police officers investigated over Harshita Brella domestic abuse report

FOUR police officers are under investigation over their handling of a domestic abuse report made by Harshita Brella before she was allegedly murdered by her husband.

According to the BBC, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had served disciplinary notices to the officers over their alleged response to the report.

Keep ReadingShow less
heathrow-british-airways-Reuters

A passenger plane makes its landing approach to Heathrow International Airport, a day after a fire at a nearby electrical substation wiped out power at the airport. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Heathrow back in operation after fire shut down Europe’s busiest airport

LONDON's Heathrow Airport resumed full operations on Saturday after a fire at an electrical substation knocked out power and led to a shutdown of the airport, causing widespread travel disruption.

The closure of Europe’s busiest airport left tens of thousands of passengers stranded as airlines scrambled to reroute flights and adjust schedules. Some flights resumed on Friday evening, but the shutdown for most of the day forced travellers to search for alternative flights and accommodation while airlines worked to reposition aircraft and crews.

Keep ReadingShow less
​June Sarpong

June Sarpong (second from right) delivered the keynote address, emphasising the importance of inclusive dialogue in diversity efforts.

June Sarpong calls for inclusive diversity efforts at British Diversity Awards

‘Diversity is not a passing trend but the future’, said renown author and broadcaster June Sarpong as she delivered a powerful keynote address at the British Diversity Awards, held on Wednesday (19) at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London.

“We need to make a truly compelling argument for the role of allies and the important role they have to play in creating a fairer society,” she added, urging for broader engagement in the fight for inclusion.

Keep ReadingShow less