Just man up!
What female boss allegedly told male lab worker...who’s suing for sex discrimination
A LABORATORY worker is suing for sexual harassment after his female boss allegedly told him to ‘man up’.
Daniel Price claims the workplace environment was ‘toxic’ and allowed ‘extreme discrimination against males’.
Mr Price said lab manager Ashleigh Knowles told him ‘men are less organised’ and he was ordered to go away when female colleagues were having ‘girls only’ conversations.
He claimed he was the only one tasked with carrying boxes ‘because you’re a man’.
On one occasion when Mr Price refused, due to a hernia, he was allegedly told to ‘man up and get on with it – it’s only a few boxes’.
Mr Price worked for PiQ Laboratories in Ebbw Vale, South Wales, which specialises in allergen testing, from January 2019 until he was dismissed in May 2020.
He told a Cardiff Employment Tribunal preliminary hearing he was discriminated against by Miss Knowles and colleague Debbie Powell. A report to the tribunal about the allegations said Miss
Knowles commented about a potential new recruit ‘It will more than likely be a girl because women tend to be better and more organised in the lab.’
She also allegedly said to Mr Price: ‘You are lucky to have your job because everyone was shocked that it was a guy being employed – we normally only employ females because men are less organised.’
The report said Mr Price was asked by Miss Knowles to carry boxes that had been delivered to the building ‘because you’re a man’. When he challenged her that the task should not lie solely with him because he was male ‘he was threatened with action against his insubordination’.
On another occasion, he allegedly received a WhatsApp message from Miss Knowles talking about a visit by a colleague from another branch and saying “He could always move boxes too”.
The report said when Mr Price was asked to carry boxes in March, 2020 he refused due to a hernia. Miss Knowles allegedly told him to ‘man up and get on with it – it’s only a few boxes’.
Mr Price said after this the environment at work was ‘very tense as Miss Knowles told other staff members he had refused to complete the task’. On another day Miss Knowles was talking to a colleague when she allegedly told Mr Price: ‘Go away – we are talking about woman stuff.’
The report said: ‘Mr Price replied “It’s OK, I have three sisters and I’m used to it” and Miss Knowles further said “No, you’re a man and you don’t need to be listening to this.”’ In May 2020, Mr Price entered the office where Miss Knowles, Miss Powell and two other female members of staff were and Miss Knowles allegedly stated: ‘This conversation isn’t for you to hear – girls only.’ Mr Price claims there was an ‘ongoing discriminatory state of affairs’.
He insisted there was ‘extreme discrimination against males within the workplace, again leading to a toxic work environment for myself.’ Employment Judge Rachel Harfield ruled Mr Price had a ‘sufficiently arguable case’ and ordered a full hearing to take place.
She added: ‘It is for the tribunal at that full hearing to hear all the evidence and then decide whether ... alleged acts happened and their context. The tribunal will then decide whether the acts as found meet the threshold to be harassment related to sex.’