GCHQ 'racism' tribunal settled out of court
AN Asian civil servant who was suing the Government's secretive spy base GCHQ for racial harassment has settled his claim at the 11th hour.
Alfred Bacchus was due at a London employment tribunal yesterday, but the case was cancelled after it was settled at 11pm the previous night, officials said.
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GCHQ at Cheltenham
Mr Bacchus's lawyer's office also confirmed the parties had settled.
Mr Bacchus, 42, was reportedly seeking £150,000 amid claims he was bullied by bosses while a senior press officer at GCHQ.
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Mr Bacchus, now of Maida Vale, in London, resigned from his post in August 2011 and began his claim for race discrimination and constructive dismissal.
In papers lodged with the Central London Employment Tribunal, the claimant complained of harassment by his white bosses.
Mr Bacchus claims he faced discrimination after a new person moved into the post as head of strategic communications in March 2010.
Mr Bacchus believes that his bosses ignored his advice, sidelined him and reduced him to little more than a messenger.
He also claimed that major projects he had been working on were taken from him.
Mr Bacchus said he felt singled out and patronised as the only ethnic minority employee in the communications department when he was asked how he felt about a leaked report on racism at GCHQ.
Mr Bacchus was soon afterwards treated at hospital for anxiety and a racing heart rate, his lawyer Joe Sykes previously said, adding that Mr Bacchus was made to return to work for the same managers at the listening post in Cheltenham.
No details of the settlement were available and a GCHQ spokeswoman declined to comment.
GCHQ had previously lost an application to exclude the media from the tribunal on national security grounds.
GCHQ had wanted to keep the names secret, fearing its staff could be subject to attacks if they were made public. But a ruling was made by the tribunal in July, which meant had the tribunal proceeded, its employees would have been named.
Comments
by Haw_Haw
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 5:12PM
“His Lordships brother, the Honourable Selwyn (...not his real name...) worked at the GCHQ computer room for some years. They are hard taskmasters there. Understandable when you consider the responsibilities those fellows have, and of course, with members of the armed forces around and their 'no nonsense' approach thrown in. Not for the mediocre, not at all...”
by valhalla2010
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 3:49PM
“I find it very unlikely that someone in the Civil Service was a practicing racist, given how PC the service is these days.”
by Justica
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 2:55PM
“It can never the case then, because you belong to an ethnic minority, that you have been found to be incompetent and therefore, passed over for promotion ? It would appear you could always put down your failings as 'racial discrimination' and the white population obviously will never have this advantage. Therefore, we have again discrimination against the majority.”