Discrimination - Should You Ever Sue The Boss?

Is suing your boss really worth the risk? This is a question that former firearms officer Carol Howard may wish she had asked herself before embarking on a sex and race discrimination claim against her former employer, the Metropolitan police. For her it was a victory, yes, but also a hard lesson learnt.

Ms Howard, a black woman, was employed as a firearms officer assigned to the Met's diplomatic protection division. Out of a total of 700 officers in this division, only 12 were women and only she was black. The Tribunal commented that these figures alone were "alarming", women and officers of ethnic origin being completely under represented. During the course of the Tribunal hearing, Ms Howard was successfully able to prove that her line manager's personal antipathy towards her emanated from his negative perception of women and black people generally, believing them to be dishonest and untrustworthy. The Tribunal could find no evidence to substantiate such groundless