CO-OP’S RACE ROW RAP

COLOMBIAN WORKER SUFFERED DISCRIMINATION IN BID TO MANAGE SOUTH WALES STORE

A COLOMBIAN man’s hopes of becoming a Co-op store manager in South Wales were stymied by race discrimination, an employment tribunal has ruled.

Judge Philip Davies said it was “striking” that there was not one non-white store manager across the Co-op’s 81 stores in the region.

Gerardo Brando-Calderon, 52, described himself as being of mixed race from Colombia and said he was a human rights lawyer there.

He started working for the Co-op in 2002 and, by 2013, had risen to become a store manager in south London, earning more than £30,000 a year.

Mr Brando-Calderon decided to move with his family to Wales after purchasing a property in the Rhondda, said Judge Davies.

He sought to transfer to a store in the area, but was told he would have to take a ‘provisional demotion’ until a store manager position became available. He accepted the role of deputy manager at the Garden Village store, in Gilfach Goch, in October 2013 with a substantially reduced salary of about £15,000. He claimed there was a “verbal promise” that he would soon become a store manager.

But, despite later transferring to the Taff’s Well store in December 2014, he never progressed back to store manager level.

He was diagnosed with severe depression in January last year and has not returned to work since, the tribunal in Cardiff heard.

Mr Brando-Calderon complained of discrimination, claiming that “less experienced employees were promoted over him and all of them were young and white Welsh”.

Evidence was disclosed at the tribunal hearing about store managers at Co-op stores in South Wales since 2013. There were 81 stores in the region, with 100% of their managers being white British or white Welsh.

“It is striking that, in areas covered by the stores, particularly in the big urban centres of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, there are no managers who are non-white Welsh or white British,” Judge Davies told the tribunal.

He accepted that “this in itself does not prove or show discrimination” and rejected claims that Mr Brando-Calderon was paid less because of his race.

But his performance appraisals indicated that he wished to progress his career and “these were not taken seriously” by the Co-op, the judge added.

Judge Davies found that “either consciously or sub-consciously because of Mr Brando-Calderon’s race” his career had not been progressed.

It was also “striking” that, despite previously being a store manager in London and having a “good record” of employment, he was not offered “positive assistance” to progress to management level in South Wales.

“We find that there was less favourable treatment to Mr BrandoCalderon because of his race as compared to others of a white Welsh or white British ethnic makeup who have secured management positions in the South Wales area,” the judge added. “He was not afforded the same opportunity to broaden and strengthen his capabilities as others.

“In effect, his aspirations were ignored and the proper inference that this was because of race can be made. He suffered discrimination because of his race regarding career progression and work duties,” the judge concluded.

“We find in respect of two matters, namely career progression and failure to involve Mr Brando-Calderon in administrative work at the Taff ’s Wells store, discrimination because of race.”

Mr Brando-Calderon’s claims of harassment and age discrimination were rejected along with other aspects of his race discrimination complaint.

Judge Davies urged Mr BrandoCalderon and the Co-operative Group Limited to agree a settlement in the light of the tribunal’s ruling.

If that does not happen there will be another tribunal hearing to decide the amount of Mr BrandoCalderon’s compensation.