WHSmith 'made woman come into work' and bring child with her

dailystar.co.uk:

tribunal.Despite having asked to not work weekends, due to being the sole carer for the eight-year-old child at the time, and not having anyone to look after her, Jacqueline Keating's 'frustrated' boss told her she had to find her own replacement if she could not work a shift.After being forced to quit she sued the high street chain for sex discrimination and unfair dismissal.Ms Keating has now been awarded £25,558.55 in compensation after the panel found that forcing women, as primary caregivers, to work on Saturdays puts them at a disadvantage.Having started working at a WHSmith chain in London in October 2015 she was on a 20 hour contract – plus a further eight when required, the panel heard.Then, in July 2018, her boss – named in tribunal documents only as Mr Cruikshank – introduced a Saturday rota for weekday staff to work one weekend day a month.This was to combat falling sales revenue and came after university students who usually covered the weekend had quit, the tribunal heard.The hearing in Croydon, south London, was told on numerous occasions that this roster was a ‘massive issue’ for the single mother, who had no family or social network to help her out.The tribunal was told she tried to talk to her boss multiple times about this, even sending him a text which was ignored.In September 2018, although she told her boss she could not work the Saturdays she had been put down for, she was informed she would have to organise swaps herself, the panel heard.The following month, Ms Keating was forced to ask for both WHSmith and her boss to sign off on letting her daughter accompany her to work – a move the panel found to be an indication of her ‘obvious and significant childcare issues’.The tribunal found this should.