In a bizarre case, a project manager at a UK-based IT company sued her boss for sexual harassment after misinterpreting symbols in an email such "xx", "yy", and "???" as codes for seeking sexual relations.&nbsp;

According to the BBC, Karina Gasparova, project manager at essDOCS's London office, claimed that her boss, Alexander Goulandris, sent offensive emails with terms like xx, yy,???? and renamed a work file with his initials 'ajg,' which is an abbreviation for "A Jumbo Genital."

Gasparova filed an employment tribunal complaint against the company, alleging sexual harassment, discrimination, and unjust dismissal. The panel at the London Central Court, however, dismissed her accusations, finding that her interpretation of events was "skewed," according to the BBC.

During her presentation before the jury, Gasparova stated that Goulandris was attempting to chat her up while discussing work on calls. She further alleged that her supervisor implied a desire to "engage in sexual acts" in email communication.&nbsp;

When describing the content of the email, Gasparova claimed that "xx" stood for kisses, "yy" for sexual contact, and "????" was a question requesting "when she would be ready" to get intimate with him, the report added.

However, the tribunal found that it was a legitimate request for information and wasn't indicating anything sexual.

"She demonstrated a tendency to make extraordinary allegations without evidence and she contradicted herself in a way that could not be attributable to a fallible memory. Gasparova interpreted entirely innocent work-related conduct, some of it accidental, by Goulandris as having a sinister intent,"&nbsp;Employment Judge Emma Burns told Independent.&nbsp;

The panel eventually dismissed her claims and ordered her to pay&nbsp;£5,000 (US$6224.35) in compensation.

<h2>Bizarre incidents in corporates</h2>

In another bizarre case, a&nbsp;senior IT professional who has been on sick leave since 2008 sued his company for discrimination because he did not receive a raise, as per a Telegraph report.&nbsp;According to the report, Ian Clifford works at IBM but has been unwell for the past 15 years. According to his LinkedIn page, he has been 'medically retired' since 2013.

He claimed, however, that he was a victim of 'disability discrimination' since his income had not been increased in the 15 years he had been unable to work. Under an IBM health plan, the IT professional earns more than 54,000 pounds (US$67,300) each year and is assured to do so until the age of 65.&nbsp;

He brought IBM to an employment tribunal in February 2022, claiming disability discrimination.&nbsp;

However, his plans were dashed when an employment tribunal rejected his claims, with a judge telling him he had received a "very substantial benefit" and "favourable treatment."

&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

In a bizarre case, a project manager at a UK-based IT company sued her boss for sexual harassment after misinterpreting symbols in an email such "xx", "yy", and "?

In a bizarre case, a project manager at a UK-based IT company sued her boss for sexual harassment after misinterpreting symbols in an email such "xx", "yy", and "???" as codes for seeking sexual relations. According to the BBC, Karina Gasparova, project manager at essDOCS's London office, claimed that her boss, Alexander Goulandris, sent offensive emails with terms like xx, yy,???? and renamed a work file with his initials 'ajg,' which is an abbreviation for "A Jumbo Genital." Gasparova filed an employment tribunal complaint against the company, alleging sexual harassment, discrimination, and unjust dismissal. The panel at the London Central Court, however, dismissed her accusations, finding that her interpretation of events was "skewed," according to the BBC. During her presentation before the jury, Gasparova stated that Goulandris was attempting to chat her up while discussing work on calls. She further alleged that her supervisor implied a desire to "engage in sexual acts" in email communication. When describing the content of the email, Gasparova claimed that "xx" stood for kisses, "yy" for sexual contact, and "????" was a question requesting "when she would be ready" to get intimate with him, the report added. However, the tribunal found that it was a legitimate request for information and wasn't indicating anything sexual. "She demonstrated a tendency to make extraordinary allegations without evidence and she contradicted herself in a way that could not be attributable to a fallible memory. Gasparova interpreted entirely innocent work-related conduct, some of it accidental, by Goulandris as having a sinister intent," Employment Judge Emma Burns told Independent. The panel eventually dismissed her claims and ordered her to pay £5,000 (US$6224.35) in compensation. Bizarre incidents in corporates In another bizarre case, a senior IT professional who has been on sick leave since 2008 sued his company for discrimination because he did not receive a raise, as per a Telegraph report. According to the report, Ian Clifford works at IBM but has been unwell for the past 15 years. According to his LinkedIn page, he has been 'medically retired' since 2013. He claimed, however, that he was a victim of 'disability discrimination' since his income had not been increased in the 15 years he had been unable to work. Under an IBM health plan, the IT professional earns more than 54,000 pounds (US$67,300) each year and is assured to do so until the age of 65. He brought IBM to an employment tribunal in February 2022, claiming disability discrimination. However, his plans were dashed when an employment tribunal rejected his claims, with a judge telling him he had received a "very substantial benefit" and "favourable treatment." WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

UK woman drags boss to court after mistaking ‘xx’ symbols in mail for kisses, loses case

An Uber driver told a British tribunal today he had earned less than the minimum wage, despite the firm saying he received nearly three times as much, in a case that could threaten the app&#39;s business model. 
 
Lawyers are representing two drivers at an employment tribunal, arguing that Uber is acting unlawfully by not offering rights such as holiday and sick pay. 
 
Uber, which allows users to book and pay for a taxi by smartphone, says its more than 30,000 London drivers enjoy the flexibility of being able to work when they choose and receive on average much more than the minimum wage. 
 
The case could hit Uber&#39;s reliance on using self-employed drivers. 
 
James Farrar, a driver with the firm since December 2014, said that last August he earned less than the 6.70 Pounds ($8.80) an hour for those aged 21 and older which was then the rate for the minimum wage in Britain. 
 
&quot;They claim that, based on the total number of hours logged into the app, I have been paid 13.77 Pounds on an average hourly basis,&quot; he wrote in a witness statement.&nbsp;&quot;I calculated my net earnings for August 2015 after the expenses I set off and they came to 5.03 Pounds an hour.&quot; 
 
Uber&#39;s lawyer David Reade said that Farrar had picked a month in which he had logged onto the app for the longest period of time, but cancelled or not accepted the most amount of jobs, thereby reducing his hourly pay. 
 
Most employees in Britain are entitled to the minimum wage, but the self-employed are among those who do not qualify.&nbsp;The issue of low pay and a lack of job security has sparked a public outcry in Britain in recent years, with firms such as sports retailer Sports Direct facing a backlash over their use of zero-hour contracts. 
 
Last year Uber, whose investors include Goldman Sachs and Alphabet Inc unit Google, said its drivers received average payments of 16 Pounds an hour in October after the firm&#39;s service fee. 
 
The former start-up has grown rapidly, and is valued at $62.5 billion but has faced protests, bans and restrictions in several cities, including in London where traditional black-cab drivers tried to have the app ruled illegal. 
 
The case is due to last until next Tuesday and a decision on whether Uber is acting unlawfully is unlikely to be given by the judge for several weeks. 
 
(Reuters)

Lawyers representing two drivers argued that Uber is acting unlawfully by not offering rights such as holiday and sick pay

An Uber driver told a British tribunal today he had earned less than the minimum wage, despite the firm saying he received nearly three times as much, in a case that could threaten the app's business model. Lawyers are representing two drivers at an employment tribunal, arguing that Uber is acting unlawfully by not offering rights such as holiday and sick pay. Uber, which allows users to book and pay for a taxi by smartphone, says its more than 30,000 London drivers enjoy the flexibility of being able to work when they choose and receive on average much more than the minimum wage. The case could hit Uber's reliance on using self-employed drivers. James Farrar, a driver with the firm since December 2014, said that last August he earned less than the 6.70 Pounds ($8.80) an hour for those aged 21 and older which was then the rate for the minimum wage in Britain. "They claim that, based on the total number of hours logged into the app, I have been paid 13.77 Pounds on an average hourly basis," he wrote in a witness statement. "I calculated my net earnings for August 2015 after the expenses I set off and they came to 5.03 Pounds an hour." Uber's lawyer David Reade said that Farrar had picked a month in which he had logged onto the app for the longest period of time, but cancelled or not accepted the most amount of jobs, thereby reducing his hourly pay. Most employees in Britain are entitled to the minimum wage, but the self-employed are among those who do not qualify. The issue of low pay and a lack of job security has sparked a public outcry in Britain in recent years, with firms such as sports retailer Sports Direct facing a backlash over their use of zero-hour contracts. Last year Uber, whose investors include Goldman Sachs and Alphabet Inc unit Google, said its drivers received average payments of 16 Pounds an hour in October after the firm's service fee. The former start-up has grown rapidly, and is valued at $62.5 billion but has faced protests, bans and restrictions in several cities, including in London where traditional black-cab drivers tried to have the app ruled illegal. The case is due to last until next Tuesday and a decision on whether Uber is acting unlawfully is unlikely to be given by the judge for several weeks. (Reuters)

Uber driver tells UK tribunal he earned less than minimal wage

employment-tribunal

Employment Tribunal, News on Employment Tribunal, stories on Employment Tribunal, articles on Employment Tribunal, Employment Tribunal stories at Wion, Employment Tribunal news, Employment Tribunal latest news