Former Banker Sues UOB for Race Discrimination
A previous employee at United Overseas Bank's London branch is suing for unfair dismissal, alleging that he was denied a new job because he is not Asian.
Daniel Smith has worked at Singapore's third-largest bank for 23 years, but recently asked to look for new roles as the bank's London branch stopped offering clearing services. Smith said that the general manager Andy Cheah told him that he would be unsuccessful because the bank had found an Asian candidate which would fit into the bank's culture.
«To have been overlooked for an alternative role, and discriminated in the way I was, is such a big letdown given everything I had given to the bank over what has been most of my adult working life,» Smith said in a court filing.
Cheah's Defence
Cheah acknowledged that he had used the «descriptive» term that the candidate was Asian, but explained that the candidate's «race and nationality have absolutely nothing to do with her selection», according to a report in «Bloomberg».
His original intention was to mentally prepare Smith for the fact that the candidate would be working alongside him in a small office. A UOB spokesperson declined to comment.
Altered Minutes?
Smith, who was a senior officer in the bank's treasury business, said UOB changed the minutes of the meeting that originally described how the candidate needed to «fit into UOB which had a strong Asian influence», to read that the candidate needed an «ability to fit into UOB's banking culture».
When Smith questioned the comments by the general manager, he lost his position shortly afterwards. In UK employment cases, an award is capped at around 84,000 pounds. More is awarded if the worker can show discrimination or whistle-blowing on improper actions.
