£230,000 payout for Hindu Royal Mail boss mistaken for Muslim

A HINDU postal manager has been awarded nearly £230,000 compensation after a colleague mistook him for a Muslim during an argument over a prayer room.

Mathan Shunmugaraja was discriminated against by a Christian member of staff at Royal Mail’s Cardiff centre after using a ‘quiet room’ to hold meetings.

Mr Shunmugaraja, who described himself as a Hindu of British-Indian origin, said Adam Day aggressively suggested they use the ‘ Muslim prayer room’ instead. An employment tribunal decided the remark amounted to religious discrimination.

Mr Shunmugaraja – who was also called a ‘sly dog’ following a dispute with another colleague – had been earning £32,000 a year with Royal Mail. As a manager, he was required to hold weekly training and planning meetings in whichever room was available at the time, the panel was told. He began using the quiet room, separate to the designated prayer room on another floor.

A notice on the door read: ‘Dear user, this room is provided for prayer, contemplation and reading, please respect this facility for that purpose.’ The Cardiff tribunal heard Mr Day used the quiet room for praying and was angry that it was being used for work. In August 2017, Mr Day complained to another manager and asked Mr Shunmugaraja not to use the room in future.

When the weekly meeting went ahead in the quiet room Mr Day stormed in, began shouting and demanded Mr Shunmugaraja discuss it outside. When Mr Shunmugaraja asked another colleague – who was a Muslim – to come with them, Mr Day said: ‘What for? I’m not going to kill you.’

He claimed that Mr Day then ‘caustically and aggressively’ said: ‘Let’s go use the Muslim prayer room.’ Mr Day denied using the word ‘Muslim’.

In a separate incident, Mr Shunmugaraja also got in a row with another colleague, Tony Brown, who called him a

‘Harassed and bullied’

‘sly dog’ in a meeting. He wrote to Royal Mail’s HR department and claimed he was being harassed and bullied on account of his race. He later went on sick leave and did not return prior to his dismissal, for an unrelated matter.

Judge Laura Howden-Evans found his treatment amounted to discrimination.

She said: ‘Mr Day was wound up and upset Mr Shunmugaraja was using the quiet room... In that instant Mr Day had confused [his] religion with [his] friend’s religion.’

Royal Mail was told to pay Mr Shunmugaraja £229,161 for injury to feelings and past and future losses.

A spokesman said: ‘ Royal Mail is disappointed by this decision. We are now carefully reviewing the findings.’