Woman seeks £3.3m in discrimination case after male colleagues left witch’s hat on desk

A banker who won a sex discrimination case after drunken male colleagues left a witch’s hat on her desk is seeking £3.3million in stigma losses.

Stacey Macken sued French bank BNP Paribas for £4million after claiming she was paid hundreds of thousands of pounds less than men over four years.

She is now fighting for a further £3,363,594 in stigma losses after she claims the successful employment tribunal tarnished her reputation.

In 2019 the tribunal ruled Miss Macken, then 48, had been subjected to sex discrimination and victimisation by the bank.

It found she should be paid the same as a comparable role, although it rejected her other claims of protected disclosure detriment and harassment, reports TheTelegraph.

The tribunal heard she was given undesirable roles referred to as “pink” jobs, while men got better “blue” jobs.

She was belittled by her boss who told her “not now Stacey” so often her colleagues joined in, the hearing was told.

At a remedy hearing last week, the prime finance specialist said she has lost friendships and dream career prospects along the way.

She told the central London employment tribunal she suffers from anxiety, panic attacks and PTSD.

Miss Macken, of Fulham, west London, said: “They have taken away my career and destroyed my life because I asked to be paid the same as a man.”

She claims the bank has still failed to equalise her salary.

Although it increased to £160,000, it matched the salary for male counterparts eight years ago, the tribunal heard.

She said: “I have also had my professional reputation unfairly tarnished by being categorised as a poor performer.

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“I had always hoped to take my career as far as possible and to maximise my earning potential. It is inevitable that I will suffer stigma losses.”

She added: “My fight for equal pay has cost me my career, my mental wellbeing and over £160,000 in legal costs.”

She is claiming for unpaid equal salary, aggravated damages and injury to feelings, gross pension, interest and stigma losses.

Judgement was reserved to another date.

In a statement to the Times, a bank spokesman said it recognised it “fell short in its duties” to her.

The representative said: “It is determined to use this opportunity to strengthen its processes to prevent a similar situation arising again.

“BNP Paribas has already ensured that Ms Macken has received full back payment for any fixed pay, bonus pay and pension contributions which the tribunal determined she was entitled to.”