World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
American Pizza Express worker told to ‘go back to your country’ and called a ‘yank’ wins £5,000 for racial discrimination
An American worker at a Pizza Express branch in the UK has been awarded £5,000 after an employment tribunal found she was subjected to racial discrimination by colleagues who told her to "go back to your country" and called her a "yank". The ruling highlights how workplace remarks about a person's nationality or accent can constitute unlawful harassment under UK equality law, even when framed as casual jibes rather than overt hostility.
The tribunal examined comments made to the employee during her time at the restaurant chain, concluding that the language used amounted to discriminatory treatment linked to her American nationality. As a result, she was awarded £5,000 in compensation, with the case serving as a reminder to employers of their obligations to prevent nationality-based harassment in the workplace.
In short
- US Pizza Express worker won £5,000 after nationality-based harassment
- Colleagues told her to "go back to your country", called her "yank"
- Tribunal ruled comments amounted to unlawful racial discrimination
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Telling someone to 'go back to your country' is an insult with a documented history of discriminatory use, and UK law correctly protects employees from nationality-based harassment. A workplace where colleagues single out an employee for where she comes from creates an inherently disrespectful environment, and employers must ensure their teams remain free from such treatment. The tribunal's decision upholds the principle that all workers deserve protection from remarks targeting their national origin, whether casual or deliberate.
The case against
Some observers worry this decision reflects an increasingly expansive interpretation of what constitutes nationality-based harassment, potentially chilling good-natured workplace banter that colleagues from different backgrounds often engage in together. The £5,000 award for comments framed as casual jibes raises legitimate questions about proportionality and whether the law's application has become overly cautious. Whilst outright discrimination demands strong protection, the challenge of preserving normal workplace camaraderie whilst preventing genuine harassment remains genuinely difficult to resolve.
Explained simply
An American employee at a Pizza Express restaurant in Britain has won a compensation case after colleagues made repeated derogatory comments about her nationality. She alleged that workers told her to "go back to your country" and made other remarks singling her out for being American.
An employment tribunal, which handles workplace legal disputes in the UK, examined the case and found the treatment amounted to unlawful harassment. The tribunal concluded that nationality-based jibes can constitute serious discrimination under British equality law, even when made casually or presented as jokes rather than deliberate hostility.
The ruling highlights that employers have legal duties to prevent this type of harassment in their workplaces. It reinforces that comments about someone's nationality or accent can breach equality protections if they create a hostile environment for the person targeted.