Discrimination victims win huge damages from Stellantis dealer group

Two salespeople who suffered racial discrimination while working at the Stellantis&You dealer group have been awarded thousands of pounds in damages.

The AM100 dealer group must pay Adebayo (Anthony) Oguntokun £60,500 in damages plus £27,000 interest and £13,000 for future medical treatment after an employment tribunal ruled he had been the victim of serious racial discrimination while working at its dealership in Staples Corner, London.

It must also pay Fardowsa (Fathia) Omar, who worked at the same dealership as a sales executive, £58,000 damages plus about another £196,000 for loss of earnings, interest costs and future medical costs, as the tribunal found she was unfairly dismissed and the discrimination she suffered has left her too mentally unwell to find new employment.

The tribunal heard both had suffered discrimination from general manager Matthew Worsley that created a hostile environment for them, and had the effect of violating their dignity.

On at least 14 occasions occasion Omar was told by Worsley that she looked like a "Somalian pirate", the tribunal's judgement reports, and one at least five occasions Worsley sprayed air freshener at her and made offensive comments about "Somali smell".

And in September 2019 Worsley made a comment about her religion and disgustingly asked if she was "going upstairs to sniff the carpet", tribunal documents state.

Oguntokun had also reported that Worsley racially harrassed him by using the phrase “black b***ard” to refer to him, and telling him to deal with "your lot" when black customers were on site  - Worsley's conduct was later dismissed as "banter" by a more senior manager.

Worsley was also accused of bulling Oguntokun into moving from his initial service advisor role into a car sales role when the sales team was understaffed because Oguntokun had previous experience, despite hearing Oguntokun's objections that he found car sales too stressful.

Omar, when interviewed by another manager as the dealer group investigated Oguntokun's allegations about Worsley, claimed that there was a culture of racism at the business but that it had not been reported by her or colleagues as they felt that “nobody would listen”. 

Worsley, who had been working at the dealership since 2016 and became general manager in 2019 according to tribunal documents, left Stellantis&You in October 2020 after a disciplinary process in which he was suspended and then resigned.

The Staples Corner Vauxhall dealership, which has since closed, was acquired by Robins & Day, now Stellantis&You, from Go Vauxhall.

Stellantis statement in response

In a statement, provided to Automotive Management, Stellantis &You said: "Stellantis &You is fully committed to caring for, and supporting, all of our people.  We completely respect the decision of the tribunal and have taken steps to address the issues raised both prior to, and after, the tribunal.

"Racism has no place in our organisation. We have made a number of changes to our procedures including an employee integrity helpline and mandatory diversity and inclusion training plan for all managers.  

"We continue to review our policies and practices to ensure they are in line with best practices and legal requirements.  We remain fully committed to our employees ensuring a positive working environment."