A FORMER admin worker spoke today of her disappointment at losing an employment tribunal against a Teesside charity, where she claimed she was bullied and harassed.
But Susan Murphy, from Acklam, told the Gazette she wants to appeal the decision.
The 41-year-old was suing Victim and Witness Support Service Teesside for constructive dismissal amid claims of victimisation, bullying and harassment.
Mrs Murphy had claimed false rumours were spread about her and she was taunted over her nose, which led her to consider plastic surgery.
She also alleged she was treated unfairly by her boss after making a protected disclosure to the treasurer of the board over concerns over budgets and funding.
Her former employer denied the claim of constructive dismissal and told the Thornaby tribunal her allegations were either exaggerated or untrue.
Chairman of the tribunal Jeremy Hargrove said it was a unanimous judgment that the claimant’s complaints of unfair dismissal and detriment for making a protected disclosure “are not well founded�.
He said the tribunal had “not accepted many of the factual allegations which the claimant made, or many of her interpretations of events and of the motives of others�.
The tribunal did accept Mrs Murphy “was subjected to harassment about her facial appearance� from senior colleagues and that there had been untrue rumours and gossip about her relationship with a former board member.
But insofar as it accepted the claimant’s complaint of harassment “is justified�, the tribunal did “not accept there was any failure, unreasonable or otherwise, to deal with it by the respondent�.
She has advised her solicitor that she wants to appeal the judgment and is awaiting his instruction.
“In the meantime, for the sake of my health and well being, I need to put it all behind me,� said Mrs Murphy, who insists she had “no option but to resign� from the charity, where she worked from 2001 until June 2005.
“In my 28 years of employment I have never witnessed or experienced anything like it - it was just far too much to bear,� she said.
The Middlesbrough-based Victim Support Service declined to comment on the judgment.
You can now post local community news directly to this website! Find out more 
Keep up to date with TS10 Redcar subscribe to our RSS feed
easyAds123 - buying or selling? Search through 100s of ads for the best deals on Teesside
Leave a comment