Big Win for English Workers' Union

A veteran London Underground manager who was sacked after she called George Floyd 'scum' has won a claim for unfair dismissal. Tracy Webb was represented by the Workers of England trade union, and her Industrial Tribunal claim is a big victory both for the union and for justice.

Tracy Webb, who is white and in charge of an ethnically diverse team of 250 workers, had been sacked for 'offensive and inflammatory' posts on social media about the Black Lives Matter movement and Floyd’s long criminal record.

'Never deserved to be murdered by a police man. But... really was not a nice guy,' she commented on Facebook. She also posted 'all lives matter' and that people did not riot after the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby.

Having served London Underground for 32 years, Ms Webb was sacked as duty trains manager in February 2021.

The tribunal Judge rejected her claim of a right to free speech, saying that the European Convention probably does not cover 'offensive' words.

But skillful use of procedural rules by the Workers of England union representative led to the Judge finding in her favour over the way she was sacked and management’s failure to treat her appeal properly.

She won her unfair dismissal complaint on these grounds and a compensation hearing will take place later this year.

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