She accused her of using her breasts to get what she wanted, truck driver wins over £19,000 after legal battle with colleague

A truck driver in Britain has been awarded £19,042 in compensation after a female colleague accused her of using her appearance and sexual favors to gain advantages at work. An employment tribunal ruled that the conduct amounted to sexual harassment.

Charlotte Brooks, who worked as an HGV driver for the Co-op, started working for the company on January 17, 2022, as a trainee truck driver. At the same time, Kerry Dawson was also a trainee driver, and the two took part in the same training program.

According to evidence presented at an employment tribunal in Exeter, Devon, during a training course in Bristol in July 2022, Dawson made offensive claims about Brooks, telling instructors that she would perform sexual favors to get what she wanted.

Brooks said she was “very upset and disappointed” when she learned about the comments made about her. She reported the matter to her manager but declined to take part in mediation, believing it would not resolve the problem.

According to Brooks, the bullying by Dawson continued and the situation escalated over the following two years.

In October 2024, Brooks also received a voice message from Dawson, which was later deemed inappropriate by Co-op management. The message contained a derogatory comment about Brooks’ breasts and appearance, accusing her of being able to use her looks to make others do whatever she wanted.

After this, Brooks filed a formal complaint and Co-op launched an investigation. The company concluded that Dawson’s conduct between June 2022 and October 2024 had been inappropriate.

During disciplinary proceedings, manager John Rowan said Dawson had admitted that her behavior was wrong. Taking into account the company’s zero-tolerance policy toward such conduct, Dawson was dismissed.

However, she appealed the decision. The appeal process resulted in the dismissal being overturned and replaced with a written warning.

The person who reviewed the appeal, Bruno Krssak, argued that there had been a previous conflict between the two colleagues and that the initial decision had been reached through a flawed procedure. According to him, Dawson had not been given all the relevant information in advance of the hearing, and some of the evidence was based on hearsay.

Brooks was informed that Dawson would return to work in January 2025. According to the tribunal, there were no discussions about protective measures or special safety arrangements for Brooks before her colleague’s return.

The news of Dawson’s return had a severe impact on Brooks. She became so distressed that she was declared unfit to work due to work-related stress and remained off work until February.

The case eventually went before an employment tribunal, where Judge Paula Volkmer concluded that Dawson’s comments constituted sexual harassment.

The judge also criticized the appeal process, finding that it had failed to adequately consider the seriousness of Dawson’s conduct and the impact it had on Brooks.

According to Volkmer, there had been a tendency during the handling of the case to minimize the sexual nature of the harassment. She found that if the conduct had occurred between people of different genders, the matter might have been treated more seriously.

At the conclusion of the legal proceedings, Charlotte Brooks was awarded £19,042 in compensation for claims of sexual harassment and direct sex discrimination.

“KORÇA BOOM”