Latest news with #discrimination
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Supermarket cleared of discrimination in row over paying for groceries with 10c and 20c coins
A supermarket has been cleared of discriminating against two children who were asked by a cashier if they had 'anything larger' when they tried to pay for €68 worth of groceries with 10c and 20c coins. The children's father filed a complaint accusing the unidentified supermarket of a breach of the Equal Status Act 2000 by refusing service to the children on December 22nd, 2023, because they were members of the Travelling Community. The claim was ruled 'not well-founded' by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in a decision published on Friday, which was anonymised because of the involvement of minors. The tribunal heard that at about 1.30pm on the day of the incident, a cashier scanned €68 worth of shopping through a checkout for a girl and boy whose father was outside the premises in a car. READ MORE The cashier's evidence was that she counted out €26.80 comprising €1 and €2 coins and 20c and 10c pieces. '[It] took some time to count,' she told the WRC at a remote hearing last month. When she asked the children for the rest of the sum due, the young girl produced a purse with 'a large amount of 10- and 20-cent coins inside', she told the WRC. The cashier then asked the children whether they had 'anything larger to pay with'. She explained that there was 'a large queue building up' at her till. The children said they did not and left to fetch their father, the cashier said. She said he asked her why she was not taking their money, and that she found him 'very confrontational'. She told the WRC she 'made it clear to him that she was not refusing to take his money' and had only asked for notes because it was 'a very busy day'. There were 'a lot more than 50 coins involved'. The supermarket owner came to the till and intervened, the tribunal heard. The owner gave evidence that the father showed her he had banknotes, but told her he 'wished to pay in full using coins'. The owner then proposed that the father could count out the exact amount owed in coins, or count it out in batches of €5-€10, she said. The father replied: 'You are refusing to accept our payment.' She said she was 'trying to find a solution' and even offered coin bags to count out the loose change, but the father 'turned and walked away and left the store mid-conversation'. The father gave evidence that the children told him at the car that they 'were not being served' and that he went in to find out why. He told the WRC he 'supported what [his wife] had said about the event' in presenting the claim. The family's position, as presented by the children's mother at last month's hearing, was that the children were 'refused service at the supermarket because they were members of the Travelling Community'. 'The children suffered embarrassment in the shop with locals present, and suffered embarrassment with their friends because of the incident.' The supermarket's solicitors, Sweeney McGann, submitted that the business offered an apology to the children's mother for the 'misunderstanding' in a bid to de-escalate the situation, as well as a voucher as a goodwill gesture, which was refused. Adjudicator Peter O'Brien wrote in a decision published on Friday that it was 'not prejudicial' for the cashier to ask the children if they had 'larger-value coins or notes to complete their purchases'. He noted that by law, 'no entity other than the Central Bank or such persons as ordered by the Minister [for Finance] shall be obliged to accept more than 50 coins denominated in euro or in cent in a single transaction'. He noted that the only person who had given direct evidence to him about the initial incident was the cashier, as anything the children had told their parents was 'hearsay'. The cashier's evidence was that she 'never refused to complete the purchase' but simply asked the children whether there was 'a more convenient way to pay', he wrote. 'The request to pay with larger-value notes or coins could easily have applied to a minor who was not a member of the Travelling Community or indeed any adult who presented with large amounts of small coinage on such a busy day,' he wrote. He concluded the cashier's actions were reasonable and that she 'did not engage in discriminatory or prohibited conduct', and dismissed the complaint.
National Post
3 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
Ex-NFL player sues Chiefs for wrongful termination, racial discrimination
A former NFL defensive back is suing the Kansas City Chiefs for wrongful termination from his job as director of player engagement after accusing the franchise of discriminating against him because he is Black. Article content Ramzee Robinson, who spent nine years with the Chiefs, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri on Sunday. Article content Article content In the lawsuit, Robinson claims that he was called into a meeting in February and accused of attacking a female co-worker, and that Chiefs refused to show him security video of the encounter. Robinson ultimately was fired from his position, which involved locker room management, mentorship and other responsibilities within the team. Article content Article content The lawsuit claims that Robinson was paid a salary of $125,000 US by the Chiefs, but that his research found other NFL teams paid comparable positions an average salary of $171,932, not including other benefits. It also claims that 'the Chiefs paid African-American business employees less than their white counterparts.' Article content Chiefs spokesman Brad Gee told The Associated Press on Wednesday that while he could not comment on pending legal matters, 'to be clear, the Chiefs do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.' Article content
Fox News
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Chiefs sued by former employee alleging racial discrimination after being accused of attacking female coworker
The Kansas City Chiefs are being sued by former NFL defensive back Ramzee Robinson, who previously worked as the team's director of player engagement. Robinson is alleging wrongful termination after accusing the franchise of discriminating against him because he is Black. He filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri on Sunday. In the lawsuit, Robinson claims that he was called into a meeting in February and accused of attacking a female co-worker, and that the Chiefs refused to show him security video of the encounter. Robinson ultimately was fired from his position, which involved locker room management, mentorship and other responsibilities within the team. The lawsuit claims that Robinson was paid a salary of $125,000 by the Chiefs, but that his research found other NFL teams paid comparable positions an average salary of $171,932, not including other benefits. It also claims that "the Chiefs paid African-American business employees less than their white counterparts." Chiefs spokesman Brad Gee told The Associated Press on Wednesday that while he could not comment on pending legal matters, "to be clear, the Chiefs do not tolerate discrimination of any kind." Robinson spent nine years working for the Chiefs in a front office role. Robinson was the final player chosen in the 2007 draft by Detroit. He played in 19 games over two seasons for the Lions, then appeared in three games for Philadelphia and four for Cleveland in 2009. He never played for the Chiefs. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Chiefs for further comment. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sky News
a day ago
- Sky News
Police officers face gross misconduct hearing after Taser aimed at 90-year-old woman
Two serving Metropolitan Police officers and one former officer are set to face a gross misconduct hearing after a 90-year-old woman with dementia was targeted with a Taser, the police watchdog said. The incident occurred after a carer at an address in Peckham, south London, called the police in May 2023 to report a disturbance. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said an officer arrived at the scene to find a black woman, aged 90, holding utensils. After she did not comply with the officer's instructions to drop the objects, she was "red-dotted" with a Taser - which means the device was aimed and partially activated so a laser dot appears on the target. It was not discharged. More officers then arrived and restrained the woman with handcuffs. A spit hood was placed over her head after she spat at the officers, the IOPC said. The woman was not arrested. She was taken to hospital, where both items were removed. The IOPC launched an investigation in June 2023 after a voluntary referral from the Met and a complaint from the family over the use of force, along with a claim from them that she was discriminated against due to her age, race, sex and disability. The police watchdog determined one officer should answer a gross misconduct case over their treatment of the woman. Another serving officer and a former officer, who left the Met in August last year, will answer cases over the time she was restrained and a possible failure to take into account her age and disability. The IOPC found no evidence the woman was discriminated against based on race or sex. Both serving officers are currently on restricted duties, the Met confirmed. Three others will undergo a reflective practice review process following their behaviour during the incident. The Crown Prosecution Service decided in November 2023 that none of the officers should face criminal charges over the incident after receiving evidence from the IOPC. IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: "This was a concerning incident particularly given the woman's vulnerabilities." The Met Police will now organise the proceedings. A date has not been set.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Refusing to employ Chinese and Russians in sensitive national security jobs is not discrimination because they might be spies, tribunal rules
Refusing to employ Chinese and Russians in sensitive national security jobs is not discrimination because they might be spies, a tribunal has ruled. It is not discriminatory to stop people from nations that pose a threat to Britain taking up certain jobs in the defence sector due to the possibility of espionage, the judgement suggests. The precautionary measure applies to potential job candidates from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran - four nations currently viewed as threats by Western allies. The new ruling comes after a Chinese scientist sued a British AI company with ties to the UK and US defence departments when she was not given a job due to security concerns. Tianlin Xu applied for a £220,000 lead AI role at Binary AI Ltd but the software company's young tech boss Dr James Patrick-Evans had to reject her. Dr Patrick-Evans' start-up uses AI to identify flaws in software used by Western governments to prevent state-backed hackers from the likes of China and Russia targeting them. Dr Patrick-Evans, 32, was 'strongly advised against hiring a Chinese national' by top defence officials that he worked with, it was heard. Chinese people - such as Miss Xu - would not get security clearance from governments in order to carry out the work, it was said. Miss Xu tried to sue Binary AI Ltd on grounds of race discrimination, claiming it was 'racial stigma' and 'stereotyping'. But the tribunal dismissed her claims after hearing evidence of the security concerns. Employment Judge Richard Baty said in his judgement: 'It is obvious that software drives the modern world. It underpins our everyday lives and runs every sector of our state. 'It is in every mobile phone, television, in consumer goods, schools, hospitals, and critical national infrastructure and forms the backbone and the operations of UK government and UK defence. 'Therefore, it is paramount that the security and operational capability of the software that drives our everyday lives should remain intact and free from malicious hackers and state actors wanting to persuade political outcomes or obtain sensitive information. 'The UK government and its Western allies that form the five eyes alliance have been under constant attack by many of these malicious groups, mainly from state-backed hacking groups from countries such as North Korea, Russia, China and Iran. 'These hacking groups have tried to obtain a 'backdoor' or malicious remote access into software that forms the backbone of UK infrastructure such as 5G telecoms, NHS health networks, power plant controllers, and water infrastructure systems. 'It is therefore imperative that the security of the software that drives these systems is verified, controlled and secured. 'Backdoors' have a devastating impact on the security of UK sovereignty and economic well-being. 'They allow foreign states to spy on the most sensitive UK data and steal sensitive information and economic trade secrets. Detecting backdoors hidden in software is exceptionally difficult.' Dr Patrick-Evans' company counts its primary customers as organisations within the UK and US defence community where 'strictest security concerns are essential'. They operate at a 'top security clearance level and require extensive background checks and verifications' on people working within them, it was heard. Judge Baty added: 'The threats come primarily from groups backed by states such as North Korea, Russia, China and Iran. 'That creates enormous challenges to anyone who is a national of any of these countries working in the industry.' Binary AI had a contract with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory - the top secret Porton Down lab - and the Ministry of Defence to develop AI that could identify hidden backdoors inside software. The hearing in central London was told 'highly intelligent' Miss Xu applied for the lead AI role in September 2023. Around the time, Dr Patrick-Evans asked contacts in the UK defence community about hiring a Chinese person for the role 'He was informed by top defence officials that a Chinese national could not work in this area due to national security constraints', the judgement said. They told it would 'create all kinds of difficulties'. One defence official told him: 'Unfortunately our position has been hardening on this in recent months and we are now unable to fund Chinese nationals for any NS-related work (no matter how long they've been resident). 'The work you're doing is of great interest to our community and is likely to get into quite sensitive territory, so I would strongly advise against hiring a Chinese national.' Dr Patrick-Evans was impressed by Miss Xu but considered that she would not get necessary clearance. She was also not favoured because she 'had no experience at all in this field and was not the best equipped candidate'. The winning candidate was British, had already worked in the field, and had previously been given security clearance. Dr Patrick-Evans told Miss Xu: 'Disappointingly I've come to the decision not to proceed with your application on the sole basis of your nationality. 'As a company, we work closely in sensitive areas with western governments and wish to continue to do so. 'We're simply not big enough of a company to ensure the separation and security controls needed to hire someone of your nationality at this stage.' Judge Baty concluded that despite the 'clumsy' language of his message to Miss Xu, it was not discriminatory to reject her because the security issues had to be considered. Judge Baty said: '[Binary AI] operates in a highly sensitive niche industry, whose end users are Western governments. 'Those end users set the rules on what they consider to be security requirements within the industry. 'A product is not viable if a company falls short of those requirements.' Judge Baty added: 'I find that the fact that an individual is a Chinese national (or, indeed, a Russian national, North Korean national or Iranian national) did preclude that individual working in a role, such as the Lead AI role, which involved working closely on matters concerning national security. 'Finally, I find that that prohibition was a decision of customers, rather than [Binary AI] or Dr Patrick-Evans themselves. 'From this point on, therefore, I find that Dr Patrick-Evans believed that he would not be able to offer [her] the Lead AI role because he believed that, because she was a Chinese national, she would not be able to obtain the security clearance necessary to do that role.'
