Bolton Wanderers rocked by sex case claims despite anti-discrimination pledge

27 July 2009 19:43
Bolton are facing a potentially embarrassing industrial tribunal after allegations of sexual discrimination from a female employee. The individual, who resigned in February, claims she was treated differently to a male colleague doing the same job at the Reebok Stadium. Bolton’s human resources department rejected her complaint as part of the club’s grievance procedure, and regardless of whether chairman Phil Gartside upholds her appeal against that verdict when he completes his own investigation in the next week or so, it seems likely the case will end up in front of a tribunal in September or October. On their website, Bolton pledge to ‘oppose and prevent discrimination against individuals because of their age, disability, gender...’ and to ‘train all our staff in Equality and Diversity’. But the word is that the attitude of some male employees at Bolton to women in the workplace — especially one as testosterone-fuelled as a Premier League football club — belongs more in the 19th than the 21st Century. SEX is also on the agenda at League Two Barnet. But promoting chlamydia testing at last week’s glamour friendly against Arsenal is not the end of the club’s efforts to raise health issues with local people. The club are embarking on a season-long partnership with the Barnet Primary Care Trust, whose sexual health clinic is a stone’s throw from the club’s Underhill Stadium. The trust are paying a four-figure sum to cover further match sponsorships and display a permanent hoarding pushing chlamydia screening, particularly among males in their teens and 20s.

Source: Daily_Mail