Calling man bald at work is sexual harassment, rules UK tribunal
London, May 13: Calling a man bald in the workplace falls within the purview of sexual harassment, an employment tribunal in England has concluded.
The three-member tribunal, led by Judge Jonathan Brain, had to determine whether a reference to someone's lack of hair was simply an insult or amounted to harassment.
The decision relates to a claim of unfair dismissal and sex discrimination brought by Tony Finn against the West Yorkshire-based British Bung Company, where he worked as an electrician for 24 years before he was fired in May last year.
In our judgment, there is a connection between the word 'bald' on the one hand and the protected characteristic of sex on the other," the judgment said.
The tribunal accepted that the lawyer appearing on behalf of the company, British Bung Manufacturing Company Limited, was right to submit that women, as well as men, may be bald.
"However, as all three members of the tribunal will vouchsafe, baldness is much more prevalent in men than women. We find it to be inherently related to sex," the judgment notes.
The case was heard at Sheffield in northern England over February and April this year.
A future date will be set to determine Finn's compensation after his claims of sexual harassment, unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal were upheld earlier this week.
A related claim of age discrimination was dismissed.
The incident related to Finn's complaint was with reference to an altercation in July 2019 when factory supervisor Jamie King reportedly referred to his lack of hair during an argument.
Finn told the tribunal: I was working on a machine that I had to cover awaiting specialist repair. The covers were taken off, and it was apparent that Jamie King had done this. When I spoke to him about it, he began to call me a stupid old bald cunt and threatened to deck me.'
Fearful for my personal safety I retreated to the nearby office of Ady Hudson, supervisor. Jamie continued his tirade of threats and abuse at the office door. This was witnessed by Ady.
The tribunal concluded that King did threaten the claimant with physical violence and made pejorative remarks about the claimant's age or appearance".
With reference to a previous case as precedent, they noted that it was held that a woman had been sexually discriminated against when a manager made a single comment to her about the size of her breasts .
The tribunal therefore determines that by referring to the claimant as a bald cunt' on 24 July 2019 Mr King's conduct was unwanted, it was a violation of the claimant's dignity, it created an intimidating, etc., environment for him, it was done for that purpose, and it related to the claimant's sex, the judgment reads.
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Govt to set up Bureau of Port Security to boost port, vessel security
New Delhi (PTI): To beef up the security infrastructure of ports, the government will set up a statutory body -- the Bureau of Port Security -- that will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information of ports and vessels, officials said on Friday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday convened a meeting for the constitution of the dedicated body, the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS), which was attended by the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, and the Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, an official statement said.
Emphasising that there is a need to establish a country-wide robust port security framework, Shah directed that security measures should be implemented in a graded and risk-based manner, taking into account vulnerabilities, trade potential, location, and other relevant parameters.
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The meeting also noted that lessons learned from the maritime security framework shall be replicated in the aviation security domain, the statement said.
The new body, modelled on the lines of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), will be constituted as a statutory body under the new Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, and will work under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), it said.
Headed by a senior IPS officer as its director general, the BoPS will be responsible for regulatory and oversight functions relating to the security of ships and port facilities.
"During the transition period of one year, the director general of shipping shall function as the director general of BoPS," the statement said.
"The BoPS will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information, with a special focus on cybersecurity, including a dedicated division to safeguard port IT infrastructure from digital threats," it said.
The government has designated the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as a recognised security organisation (RSO), responsible for undertaking security assessments and preparation of security plans for port facilities.
The Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will train and build the capacities of private security agencies (PSAs) engaged in port security.
"These agencies shall be certified and appropriate regulatory measures shall be introduced to ensure that only the licensed PSAs operate in this sector," the statement said.
