Lidl worker wins £22,000 payout over ‘unwanted physical contact’

‘He held on to my face with both hands. I asked him to let go – I had to ask him three times to let go’

‘He pressed me on why I wasn’t going swimming and said it was ridiculous I did not feel comfortable’

A Lidl employee won £22,000 after a sex discrimination case in which she complained that her boss had put pressure on her to swim in front of him during a company social event.

Lydia Callaghan said Jonathan Carter, Lidl’s regional head of supply chain, made her feel uncomfortable when he held her face and asked her why she hadn’t gone for a swim.

Her complaints were dismissed by the company after an investigation failed to ask possible witnesses about the “unwanted physical contact”.

She took the German supermarket chain to an employment tribunal, where she won her claims of sex discrimination and victimisation because of the way its bosses handled her complaints.

The tribunal also ruled that Lidl failed to make reasonable adjustments after forcing her to travel “substantial” distances even though she suffered an issue with her knee, but said that the retailer did not discriminate against her because of her disability. She was awarded £22,005 compensation.

The hearing was told Miss Callaghan worked for Lidl as an administrator and assistant team leader from Aug 2017 until she resigned in March 2019.

In Nov 2018, when working at Lidl’s regional distribution centre in Avonmouth, near Bristol, she wrote to Graham Clark, a Lidl regional director, to complain about Mr Carter.

The tribunal heard the “unwanted physical contact” referred to a social weekend the company held at Centre

Parcs. Miss Callaghan said that, after several drinks, during a conversation, Mr Carter “held onto my face with both hands. I asked him to let go as I felt uncomfortable, yet I had to ask three times before he actually let go.

“During the course of this evening he had also ... pressed me on why I was not going swimming and told me it was ‘ridiculous’ to feel uncomfortable. As a result of Mr Carter’s actions on this evening I left the weekend early, leaving Saturday afternoon.”

The tribunal heard Mr Carter denied putting anyone under pressure to go swimming and Mr Clark did not uphold any of Miss Callaghan’s grievances.

But an employment tribunal ruled she was a victim of sex discrimination and victimisation.

Judge Andrew Midgley said: “Mr Clark was unable to explain why he had accepted Mr Carter’s evidence, which was uncorroborated, but rejected Miss Callaghan’s evidence, which was uncorroborated.”

The Telegraph has approached Lidl for comment.