Woman Wins Rs 72 Lakh Compensation After Colleagues Went For Drinks Without Her

A woman in the United Kingdom won £74,000 (almost 72 lakh) in compensation after protesting that she was left out when she wasn't asked to staff drinks. The woman who worked as a casino cashier at Asper's Casino in London had also accused the company of wrongful termination and racial & age discrimination.

Rita Leher, the 51-year-old Casino cashier at Asper's in Stratford, East London approached the court saying that she felt "shunned" when her colleagues made plans in front of her and did not extend the invite to her. Leher, who partially is of African origin, said that her promotional applications were also regularly denied or ignored.

She recounted other incidents as well. Leher had allegedly been working at the casino for more than a decade and saw the younger employees who were neither of African origin or mixed descent be promoted and despite being the most experienced cashier; she was still training courses offered to younger employees.

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Woman wins Rs 72 Lakh after colleagues went for drinks without her

Leher was reportedly laid off in August 2018 due to stress. As she began a phased return to work in November 2021, she felt "ignored" by her coworkers. Leher was not invited to the work event because the employees "did not want to socialise with someone who had complained of discrimination," according to the panel. The panel further stated, "She was the only one who hadn't been invited to the party. We can all agree that discussing the plans in front of her when she wasn't invited was inconsiderate at the very least."

Employment Judge Sarah Moor wrote, "We all agree that being excluded from discussions at work about a social event among coworkers when one would normally be involved would be adverse to an employee's job performance."

Judge Moor said in the ruling, according to The Telegraph, that "a reasonable employee would perceive such exclusion as a disadvantage because they would have missed out on the opportunity to engage with coworkers at that social function. The event was sufficiently work-related because it was among coworkers, was discussed at work, and would provide an opportunity for team bonding. Ms Leher had complained about being victimised, and we all agreed that this was the case. "

Leher was awarded £74,113.65 in damages for emotional distress and wasted over time. She has since left Aspers Casino.