A British Indian Network Rail worker has won a race harassment case after his colleagues left an anti-Islam English Defence League (EDL) leaflet in his locker.
Parmjit Bassi – who is not Muslim – was found to be the victim of racism when his co-worker stuffed an EDL leaflet in his locker which asked ‘what individuals were doing to protect their children from Islam’.
The railway worker was also accused of committing a high-profile stabbing when colleagues placed a newspaper page in his locker about a knife attack.
Mr Bassi is now in line to receive compensation after successfully suing Network Rail at an employment tribunal.
The tribunal ruled that even though Mr Bassi does not follow Islam they were ‘clear slights’ against his race and that Network Rail managers had a ‘laissez-faire attitude’ towards them.
Mr Bassi worked for Network Rail from 1999 as a track worker, it was heard.
He was based in their Operative Works Delivery Team at the Eastleigh depot, Hampshire.
Southampton Employment Tribunal heard that Mr Bassi had a strained relationship with his colleagues, but in November 2018 he found a leaflet in his boots which were in his locker.
The leaflet was produced by the far-right EDL and asked ‘what individuals were doing to protect their children from Islam’.
Mr Bassi was not Muslim, but the tribunal found that it sought to degrade him based on his race and drew no distinction between himself and Muslims.
He gave the leaflet to his manager, but the manager told the tribunal that Mr Bassi did not want anything done about it.
They said it would not be possible to find a culprit anyway.
But Mr Bassi said that he was ‘shocked by the leaflet being left as it was and was concerned that nobody followed up on it’.
The tribunal concluded that Network Rail’s ‘laissez-faire attitude was very hard to comprehend’ regarding the incident, and the manager admitted that more should have been done in hindsight.
The tribunal said: ‘It should have been clear that (Mr Bassi) was being ostracised and that something needed to be done.’
It found that Mr Bassi was ‘simply lumped in together with what the purveyor of the literature perceived as a dangerous “other”‘.
The tribunal said it was ‘quite sure that this was a clear an act of racial harassment/intimidation’ and ‘to do nothing was weak management’
Mr Bassi took some annual leave to distance himself from the environment, but very shortly after his return in January 2019 he was again the victim of racist harassment.
Two copies of a national newspaper with the headline ‘Knifed Nine Times’ – and a note written in marker pen saying ‘It was Parm’ – were found in the office.
One was with a knife in a kitchen drawer and the other was again found in Mr Bassi’s boot.
He said he felt ‘shocked and saddened that he had again been targeted’ and ‘bullied’.
The tribunal found that ‘his feeling that he was not welcome’ was ‘entirely understandable and correct’.
Mr Bassi was moved around, but struggled in his role and was eventually dismissed in April 2021.
He appealed against the decision, but it was upheld, so he took Network Rail to a tribunal over several claims claims, of which racial harassment and unfair dismissal were successful.
Judge Gary Self concluded: ‘When (Mr Bassi) made allegations of racist behaviour against him no further action was taken as it was said that the perpetrators could not be identified.
‘(Mr Bassi) alleges that this demonstrates less favourable treatment and asserts that he would not have been required to move departments as a result of unsubstantiated allegations but for his race.
‘To do nothing was weak management and only strengthened the bullies’ position at the expense of (Mr Bassi).’
