A woman told by her boss to wear a badge saying 'I'm simple' has been awarded £5,146 by an employment tribunal for sexual discrimination.

Selectabase, based in Sondes Road, Deal, was ordered to pay former employee Theresa Bailey, of Freemens Way, Deal, compensation after the tribunal upheld the

principal claim of harassment contrary to Section 3A of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.

A director of Selectabase described the tribunal’s finding as unfair.

Mrs Bailey, who worked for Selectabase between July 2, 2007 and September 28,

2007 told the tribunal of a number of incidents that led to her handing in her resignation.

These included being given a badge saying 'I’m simple’, which made her feel “embarrassed and humiliated” after she failed to grasp some functions on her computer; her manager passing wind in her direction; and him emailing a colleague to say “That’s why we don’t employ women” after she complained about the state of the communal toilet.

Mrs Bailey said it had been a hard decision to leave the company but in all the environments she had worked in with men and women she had never been treated that way before.

A company director said Selectabase had 12 years of excellent employee relations and was comfortable that neither the company nor any of its employees has acted in any way that was “inappropriate, unfair or discriminatory”.

For full story, see this week's East Kent Mercury.