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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ace-company-boss-racism-claim-thrown-out.html
A senior computer software engineer tried to sue his aerospace company boss for racism because she had used the word ‘other’ in an email.
Dr Fazal Ahmad was sacked by Rosemount Aerospace, based in Malvern, Worcestershire, after just four months for failing to develop a prototype artificial intelligence system.
But the developer, who is of Asian background, claimed his dismissal was due to discrimination, a tribunal held in Birmingham heard.
Dr Ahmad, who earned £63,000 a year, claimed that his boss’ use of the word ‘other’ in an email she sent when talking about his colleagues was racist.
But an employment tribunal judge has thrown out his claim, saying his sacking was ‘in no sense whatsoever because of race’ and the use of the word ‘other’ was ‘entirely commonplace’.
In the email, his boss Claire Knights said one of Dr Ahmad’s colleagues had expressed ‘frustration’ that he got to ‘play’ with the ‘fun machines’ without delivering much work, while ‘other people have to do the less glamorous programme work’.
The tribunal heard that Dr Ahmad was headhunted by Rosemount Aerospace as a machine learning engineer in June 2019.
He was hired to develop prototype artificial intelligence software for a client based in the United Arab Emirates.
Dr Ahmad was responsible for delivering the project, but failed to demonstrate any of his work or progress at the first monthly meeting in August, the tribunal heard.
On that same day, his boss Ms Knights received a complaint about Dr Ahmad from intern Ryanne Binns.
She claimed he was being condescending towards her in meetings, ignoring her, shutting down her suggestions and then, later on, raising her suggestions as his own.
At the next monthly meeting in September, Dr Ahmad again failed to present any of his work and Ms Knights became ‘concerned’ about his progress, the tribunal heard.
The following day, Ms Knights had a one-to-one meeting with Ms Binns, who complained that she did not know what Dr Ahmad was doing and claimed he would not explain.
These concerns were echoed by two other senior members of Dr Ahmad’s team, but Dr Ahmad told the tribunal their concerns were all part of a ‘conspiracy’ against him.
Another colleague, Dr Gary Smart, complained Dr Ahmad was ‘not really delivering much’ and ‘talked to him as if he was an idiot’….
Dr Ahmad failed to impress his colleagues at the October meeting and one was of the view that the information he presented was ‘likely downloaded from an online tutorial’.
He was given another chance at the next meeting, but Dr Smart claimed he had ‘simply used other people’s work off the internet’.
Another colleague said his work ‘could have been done by a student in an afternoon’.
Dr Ahmad was fired in October 2019, but he brought claims of racial discrimination to the employment tribunal due to his boss’ use of the word ‘other’ in the email….
A senior computer software engineer tried to sue his aerospace company boss for racism because she had used the word ‘other’ in an email.
Dr Fazal Ahmad was sacked by Rosemount Aerospace, based in Malvern, Worcestershire, after just four months for failing to develop a prototype artificial intelligence system.
But the developer, who is of Asian background, claimed his dismissal was due to discrimination, a tribunal held in Birmingham heard.
Dr Ahmad, who earned £63,000 a year, claimed that his boss’ use of the word ‘other’ in an email she sent when talking about his colleagues was racist.
But an employment tribunal judge has thrown out his claim, saying his sacking was ‘in no sense whatsoever because of race’ and the use of the word ‘other’ was ‘entirely commonplace’.
In the email, his boss Claire Knights said one of Dr Ahmad’s colleagues had expressed ‘frustration’ that he got to ‘play’ with the ‘fun machines’ without delivering much work, while ‘other people have to do the less glamorous programme work’.
The tribunal heard that Dr Ahmad was headhunted by Rosemount Aerospace as a machine learning engineer in June 2019.
He was hired to develop prototype artificial intelligence software for a client based in the United Arab Emirates.
Dr Ahmad was responsible for delivering the project, but failed to demonstrate any of his work or progress at the first monthly meeting in August, the tribunal heard.
On that same day, his boss Ms Knights received a complaint about Dr Ahmad from intern Ryanne Binns.
She claimed he was being condescending towards her in meetings, ignoring her, shutting down her suggestions and then, later on, raising her suggestions as his own.
At the next monthly meeting in September, Dr Ahmad again failed to present any of his work and Ms Knights became ‘concerned’ about his progress, the tribunal heard.
The following day, Ms Knights had a one-to-one meeting with Ms Binns, who complained that she did not know what Dr Ahmad was doing and claimed he would not explain.
These concerns were echoed by two other senior members of Dr Ahmad’s team, but Dr Ahmad told the tribunal their concerns were all part of a ‘conspiracy’ against him.
Another colleague, Dr Gary Smart, complained Dr Ahmad was ‘not really delivering much’ and ‘talked to him as if he was an idiot’….
Dr Ahmad failed to impress his colleagues at the October meeting and one was of the view that the information he presented was ‘likely downloaded from an online tutorial’.
He was given another chance at the next meeting, but Dr Smart claimed he had ‘simply used other people’s work off the internet’.
Another colleague said his work ‘could have been done by a student in an afternoon’.
Dr Ahmad was fired in October 2019, but he brought claims of racial discrimination to the employment tribunal due to his boss’ use of the word ‘other’ in the email….
