- Sahabuddin Molla accused his boss Keith Suckram of ‘Islamophobia’
- Mr Suckram denied the allegation
A council care worker has won almost £20,000 after his boss told him ‘seems you suddenly became a Muslim’ when he asked for Fridays off work to visit a mosque.
Sahabuddin Molla alleged his boss, Keith Suckram, was a ‘vile Islamophobe’ who subjected him to ‘nothing but a planned psychological torture’ during his tenure at the local authority.
After requesting Fridays off for religious purposes, Mr Suckram made the ‘Islamophobic’ remark to his employee which a tribunal concluded was an ‘inherently discriminatory’ and ‘derogatory’ comment toward his faith.
Mr Molla successfully sued the London Borough of Hackney for race and religious discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
He has now been awarded £19,611 in compensation.
The tribunal in East London heard Mr Molla started working for the council as a care support worker at Century Court in December 2013.
Mr Molla is a Muslim of South Asian ethnicity.
Sahabuddin Molla had been a council care worker in Hackney, east London, since 2013
Mr Molla said he was ‘shaking on the way home’ as a result of his boss’s actions at Hackney council
In 2017, Mr Suckram was appointed as Mr Molla’s Scheme Manager.
Problems arose between the pair and during the sueight day tribunal, the panel were shown messages in which Mr Molla complained to his trade union representative that Mr Suckram had subjected him to ‘nothing but a planned psychological torture’.
On another occasion, he said following a dispute at work, he was ‘shaking on the way home’ as a result of his boss’s actions.
At some point in 2019, Mr Molla was involved in a road accident which resulted in undergoing a lengthy period of sick leave.
Upon his return, Mr Suckram organised for the care worker to be seen by an occupational health advisor.
The advisor recommended a phased return to work for Mr Molla and for him to be assigned ‘lighter duties’ due to his ongoing symptoms.
In November of that year, the social worker attended a return to work meeting with Mr Suckram.
An employment tribunal judge awarded Mr Molla £20,000 in compensation after he brought a case against his employer, Hackney council
Keith Suckram, Mr Molla’s boss at Hackney council, denied making the offensive comment
Despite recommendations from occupational health, Mr Suckram did not adjust his duties and said a phased return would ‘not be required’ as Mr Molla only worked three six hour shifts a week.
During this meeting, Mr Suckram also made the ‘insulting comment’ about Mr Molla’s religion.
In an email written to a senior member of staff after the meeting, Mr Molla said: ‘Also he made an insulting comment about religion while having the meeting.
‘Upon my request to him not to give me shifts on Fridays as I have to go to the Mosque for Friday prayers, he made the comment: “Seems you suddenly became a Muslim” and refused to consider my request rather asked me to apply for this concession from the HR.’
Mr Suckram denied making the comment but it was heard that his evidence was both ‘vague and unpersuasive’ so the tribunal found it proven.
In a later email, Mr Molla referred to the comment as a ‘derogatory and an Islamophobic attack on his faith’.
On another occasion, he referred to his boss as a ‘vile Islamophobe’ and said one of his seniors failed to tackle Islamophobia in the workplace.
Mr Molla raised the concerns regarding his treatment to his senior but alleged they were ‘ignored’ and thus an example of direct race or religion discrimination.
The employment tribunal upheld some of Mr Molla’s claims.
The successful discrimination and harassment allegations related to the ‘seems you suddenly became a Muslim’ comment, the failure to follow occupational health recommendations and failing to escalate the complaints.
Employment Judge Bruce Gardiner said: ‘We have found that Mr Suckram did ignore Occupational Health recommendations about a four-week phased return to work in which his hours would gradually increase; and about being placed on light duties due to his ongoing symptoms.
‘We have also found that other Century Court care staff who were not Muslims were regularly engaged to work on light duties.
‘There was therefore inconsistent treatment between [Mr Molla] and other Care Support Workers in relation to light duties.’
They concluded the refusal to follow recommendations was ‘influenced’ by Mr Molla’s faith.
Addressing the remark made, Mr Gardiner said: ‘The comment Mr Suckram did make is inherently discriminatory against [Mr Molla] as a Muslim.
‘He would not have made the comment to an equivalent Care Support Worker who was not a Muslim.
‘It is therefore less favourable treatment because of his religion.’