A schoolgirl who challenged her supervisor at an Employment Tribunal on grounds of sexual harassment has been awarded almost £15,000 in damages.
17-year-old Henna Sudra, who took on a receptionist role at a branch of Pizza Hut Delivery in East London in February 2017, told a Tribunal that her supervisor, Sultan Tanha, had ‘targeted’ her from the very beginning.
Appearing at Stratford Employment Tribunal in recent days, she said that Mr Tanha subjected her to “unjustified threats, humiliating behaviour and unwelcome sexual advances.”
Specifically, she said that her supervisor would find excuses to hug her, hold her hand and grab her around the waist.
When she rejected Mr Tanha’s “numerous attempts” to sexually harass her, the supervisor ensured that her hours were cut unexpectedly, and begun “intimidating and “humiliating her” at work, she said.
Upon hearing the claims and examining the evidence, the Tribunal found that Ms Sudra had indeed been subjected to sexual harassment, and awarded her a sum of £14,950 for injury to feelings and loss of income.
Employment Judge Lewis, said: “Mr Tanha made numerous attempts to have physical contact with the claimant, in his high-fiving her, holding her hand, hugging her and taking her by the waist and also in… coming up behind her and whispering in her ear.
“We found the claimant to be credible and where there is conflict with the respondent’s evidence we prefer that of the claimant.”
The Judge added: “We are satisfied that she would not have been treated in the way that she was… if she was a man and that treatment was related to her sex and her rejection of Sultan’s unwanted conduct.”
Since the ruling was delivered, a Pizza Hut spokesperson has confirmed that Mr Tanha “no longer works for the business.”
“The safety and wellbeing of our people is our top priority and we do not condone this behaviour,” they said.