A WOMAN told an industrial tribunal yesterday how she had considered
suicide after she was sexually harassed at work.
The 31-year-old financial consultant claimed she went home from work
sick after enduring a constant stream of sexual harassment from male
colleagues and ended up in a psychiatric hospital for three days.
She was ill for several months and she even considered suicide at one
point when she reached an all time low, she told the Glasgow tribunal.
Mrs X from Glasgow claims she was sexually harassed while working as a
financial consultant in Glasgow. The tribunal has ordered that none of
the parties can be named until a final decision is reached.
She told the tribunal how she ended up in tears at work every day
because of her male colleagues, and how she ended up screaming, bawling,
having tantrums and throwing things.
She said she had objected to a director calling her ''darling'' and he
started calling her ''you old bag'' instead.
''They were making remarks about my appearance, my clothes, my
underwear, what I had been doing last night,'' she told the tribunal.
''They told disgusting stories on a daily basis and would tell silly
jokes that women were only good for two things, one of them in the
kitchen.
''It was just getting harder and harder to go into the office. I tried
to do the best I could under trying circumstances. I felt the more and
more I complained the worse it was getting for me.
''I just continued to tell them to shut up and say I didn't think it
was fair. They made comments about women coming in for interviews, about
me and even about their own wives.
''At the end I was standing in reception screaming and bawling, having
tantrums and throwing things.''
At a meeting with her manager, she claimed she was expressing how
upset she was about a previous incident and he told her about an office
party where one of the girls was nearly raped.
''I was under the impression I was getting picked on and victimised
and it was impossible to continue working there.''
While she was ill, she said she felt she would never work again.
The company, together with her former director and branch manager,
deny sex discrimination.
The hearing continues.
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