Tribunal awards young waitress £13,048 over discrimination at Highland hotel
A tribunal awarded Daniesha Charles £13,048 after finding that a Highland hotel discriminated against her because of her age, sex, race and disability. The ruling followed reports that the 15-year-old waitress was shouted and sworn at by the chef and general manager after she dropped an apple crumble, leaving her in tears.
Charles worked at the Royal Thurso Hotel from May to June 2024 for £7 an hour, while studying at college and managing dyslexia, depression and anxiety. The tribunal also heard that the chef had shouted at her over misspelling “porridge” and repeatedly referred to her as “that” and “it”; it found the treatment created a hostile and humiliating environment. After her mother complained, the manager said the hotel would end Charles’s employment.
In short
- Daniesha Charles was awarded £13,048 by an employment tribunal.
- The tribunal found discrimination on four grounds.
- She was 15 and paid £7 an hour at the time.
Explained simply
UK employers must follow laws that protect workers from discrimination because of characteristics such as age, sex, race and disability. These protections apply to young workers too, and can cover repeated behaviour at work that creates a hostile or humiliating environment.
An employment tribunal hears disputes between workers and employers and decides whether workplace laws have been broken. It can order an employer to pay compensation, including for the effects of discriminatory treatment.
The Royal Thurso Hotel is in the Highland town of Thurso. Charles was 15 and working there while studying at college; the case concerns how she was treated at work and the protections available to young employees.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Teenage waitress who was on £7 an hour wins more than £13,000 after being shouted at for dropping an apple crumble”.