Kenyan man subject to prank immigration call awarded €10000

Beta Ray Bill

Read this yesterday before leaving work:
https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/kenyan-man-subject-to-prank-immigration-call-awarded-10000-854244.html

I'm kind of divided on it (which is unusual for me)

The way the article reads to me says, the people making the prank call might have had a bit of prejudice towards the individual in question. And maybe he was right to sue. As this individual was probably facing this problem for a long time. (black c**t piece in the article)

But the other side of it is that it might have all been an innocent practical joke. Person in question didn't get the joke and sue'd which for me is an even bigger problem. that is to say, I think it's a cultural incompatibility problem.

Regardless I think €10,000 is ridiculous and the Shop should have given warnings to/dismissed the employees that played the joke.

What do you think?
Joke gone to far or No sense of humour?

Sonics2k

grahambo wrote: »

Read this yesterday before leaving work:
https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/kenyan-man-subject-to-prank-immigration-call-awarded-10000-854244.html

I'm kind of divided on it (which is unusual for me)

The way the article reads to me says, the people making the prank call might have had a bit of prejudice towards the individual in question. And maybe he was right to sue. As this individual was probably facing this problem for a long time. (black c**t piece in the article)

But the other side of it is that it might have all been an innocent practical joke. Person in question didn't get the joke and sue'd which for me is an even bigger problem. that is to say, I think it's a cultural incompatibility problem.

Regardless I think €10,000 is ridiculous and the Shop should have given warnings to/dismissed the employees that played the joke.

What do you think?
Joke gone to far or No sense of humour?

Given the context of the joke, the intent and language used. That's extremely far from an 'innocent practical joke'.

It was done with malicious intent. The shop will probably also dismiss the employees, which they deserve.

Phoebas

Sounds like a toxic work environment.

10k is a let off.

SeaFields

100% too far.

The "colleague" sounds like a right piece of work and, if true, the managers reaction to the complaint afterwards was extremely unprofessional. Serves them right

troyzer

Cultural incompatibility? What's more Irish than compo culture?

Varik

Don't think the amount if off, and none of this would have been necessary if they'd done what they should have at the start.

Wouldn't do a prank about this, or any to do with the well being of their friends/family.

troyzer wrote: »

Cultural incompatibility? What's more Irish than compo culture?

Bit of American cultural appropriation.

Fr_Dougal

Completely deserved the €10k.

strandroad

It was a hostile action and it happened at work, with many of his colleagues aware of it and enjoying it. There should be workplace consequences from their employer but there were none. That's why the retailer pays him 10k, not for the prank itself but for their lack of reaction and procedure.

robarmstrong

April Fool's pranks are all well and good, providing that they are appropriate and made in good jest.

Pretending to be a GNIB officer and playing on your work colleagues foreign nationality that you allegedly have previously called a "black c**t" is not an "April Fool's prank", it's quite simply a prick with access to a mobile phone.

€10k completely deserved and could have potentially gotten more on another day with a different judge.

scheister

To me its not about the prank phone call but how the job treated him afterwards.

One items jumps out at me "complained about the incident to his manager the following Monday but his manager told him that there was nothing he could do about it as it was a personal matter as the phone call was made by his work colleague’s own mobile phone."

So the fact it was on company time does not make it a company issue? I would think as it was on company time it is a company issue

Odhinn

grahambo wrote: »

Read this yesterday before leaving work:
https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/kenyan-man-subject-to-prank-immigration-call-awarded-10000-854244.html

I'm kind of divided on it (which is unusual for me)

The way the article reads to me says, the people making the prank call might have had a bit of prejudice towards the individual in question. And maybe he was right to sue. As this individual was probably facing this problem for a long time. (black c**t piece in the article)

But the other side of it is that it might have all been an innocent practical joke. Person in question didn't get the joke and sue'd which for me is an even bigger problem. that is to say, I think it's a cultural incompatibility problem.

Regardless I think €10,000 is ridiculous and the Shop should have given warnings to/dismissed the employees that played the joke.

What do you think?
Joke gone to far or No sense of humour?

But it wasn't, and by the sounds of things he had to put up with a lot of crap along with it.

anewme

This reads terribly sad for the lad simply trying to do a days work and I would be very surprised if anyone came down on the side of the Employer in this one.

As often happens this is sneaky sly bullying labelled as "banter" or a "practical joke" when challenged.

Would not see this as a practical joke in any way. It's sly bullying behaviour designed to single out, hurt, embarrass and humiliate the man, who had worked there for 8 years.

Employer failed to act appropriately.

Proper order.

I'm one who complains about these excessive damages paid out etc, but in this case it was well warranted and would not complain if he had have been awarded more.

Hector Savage

Total joke, when I was a young lad starting off in work all sorts of pranks were pulled on me, this is just entitlement mentality.

10k for literally NOTHING!!!

I imagine this individual will continue to sue for free money in the future.

seagull

It doesn't matter that the call was made from a personal phone. It was done in work hours to a colleague, and there should be consequences. The idiot who made the call should have been disciplined, and that would have the employer off the hook. The manager ignored the issue, and tried to ignore that it had happened.

Hector Savage

seagull wrote: »

It doesn't matter that the call was made from a personal phone. It was done in work hours to a colleague, and there should be consequences. The idiot who made the call should have been disciplined, and that would have the employer off the hook. The manager ignored the issue, and tried to ignore that it had happened.

Agreed he should have been, but should have stopped there, who can possibly justify 10k for a prank that lasted ~10 mins ...

tomofson

Political correctness going mad again, cant even take a joke these days.

Odhinn

Hector Savage wrote: »

Agreed he should have been, but should have stopped there, who can possibly justify 10k for a prank that lasted ~10 mins ...

Did you read the article?

Ashbourne hoop

scheister wrote: »

To me its not about the prank phone call but how the job treated him afterwards.

One items jumps out at me "complained about the incident to his manager the following Monday but his manager told him that there was nothing he could do about it as it was a personal matter as the phone call was made by his work colleague’s own mobile phone."

So the fact it was on company time does not make it a company issue.

This is absolute crap from the manager. The "prank" was done on company time so it doesn't matter if it was done on a personal mobile phone. The "colleague" sounds like a dick. Horrendous thing to do to someone. Would love to know which retailer it was.

AllForIt

The incident in question was just one of a number of incidents.

I hope he thoroughly enjoys the payout.

I'm happy for him.

Birneybau

Hector Savage wrote: »

Total joke, when I was a young lad starting off in work all sorts of pranks were pulled on me, this is just entitlement mentality.

10k for literally NOTHING!!!

I imagine this individual will continue to sue for free money in the future.

Were you told that you were illegally in the country and would be returned to somewhere you left behind years ago, starting all over again?

People try to mask a lot of horrible stuff these days under the cnutish umbrella of 'Banter'

Grayson

Hector Savage wrote: »

Total joke, when I was a young lad starting off in work all sorts of pranks were pulled on me, this is just entitlement mentality.

10k for literally NOTHING!!!

I imagine this individual will continue to sue for free money in the future.

You've never been called a black cnut by a coworker?

ohnonotgmail

Hector Savage wrote: »

Agreed he should have been, but should have stopped there, who can possibly justify 10k for a prank that lasted ~10 mins ...

you're right it should have stopped there. and it probably would have stopped there if the employer had taken it seriously and acted appropriately.

Grayson

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

you're right it should have stopped there. and it probably would have stopped there if the employer had taken it seriously and acted appropriately.

yeah. The case was against the employer for not taking action, wasn't it.

ohnonotgmail

Grayson wrote: »

yeah. The case was against the employer for not taking action, wasn't it.

yeah he sued the employer not the person who made the call.

Danny2580

Thoroughly deserves the cash. Employer should be named too.

gandalf

That lad was breaking the law impersonating a member of the Gardai. He should have been done for that as well.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2005/act/20/section/60/enacted/en/html

The fine is absolutely justified, the employer should have taken this far more seriously than they did. The april fools "prank" was bad enough but adding in the racist behaviour of this individual then that is a work environment that needs to be managed properly.

It doesn't matter if the call was made on the guys personal mobile, it was made during working hours on the company premises and obviously with other employees present. The guy should have been dismissed for gross misconduct.

Cee-Jay-Cee

With the level of pay outs for ridiculous claims I'm surprised he didn't get it any more. It seems that the first thing people think about in any situation nowadays is how much they can get from it.

TheIrishGrover

I don't think there is any grey area there. That was absolutely deserved. This is not PC gone mad or compo culture or someone not able to have a laugh. This was abuse, plain and simple. The man deserved everything he got and the person/people involved in the call (Not "pranksters", just a$$hats) should all have been severely disciplined (At the very least unpaid suspensions).

People have become thin skinned these days and there does tend to be a compo culture in Ireland and I have my issues with the PC brigade/SJWs but this was simply not acceptable. That person was trying to do his job and he has to put up with that? Nope. Not a chance. Company/caller got off lightly IMHO

major bill

Deserved more.

Sounds like a **** of a place to work....''Banter'' me bollox

Glass fused light

Hector Savage wrote: »

Total joke, when I was a young lad starting off in work all sorts of pranks were pulled on me, this is just entitlement mentality.

10k for literally NOTHING!!!

I imagine this individual will continue to sue for free money in the future.

Did the other employees pulling these pranks make you believe that you would be arrested; that your life as you had built and had been living for the last 8 years was over, and that you would loose the relationships and community that you had built around you? That you could forget about any future you had planned as it would not be possible.
What happened was not a joke, it was the actions of a nasty minded person who was supported by an equally nasty group of work colleagues.

imme

The employer would have docked the man money if he had to go to his GP as a result of the phone call.


Fooked up, the whole thing.
The employer didn't make the phone call, how are they responsible.

The WRC is a parallel universe.

How long has Kenya been on a direct flight route to Ireland, maybe there's a ferry.
Silly me.

Allinall

imme wrote: »

The employer would have docked the man money if he had to go to his GP as a result of the phone call.


Fooked up, the whole thing.
The employer didn't make the phone call, how are they responsible.

The WRC is a parallel universe.

How long has Kenya been on a direct flight route to Ireland, maybe there's a ferry.
Silly me.

Think you need to read up a bit on employment law.

And casual racism.

mikeecho

imme

Allinall wrote: »

Think you need to read up a bit on employment law.

And casual racism.

How was the employer responsible for the personal actions of their employee.
Were they directing his actions.
No details of that in the report.

Maybe the award was on the basis that management said that the man would be not paid for time he had to take to go to his GP, after the incident.

Decisions of the WRC that I have seen reported in the media and have come across in my own workplace have left me with the impression that the WRC is a parallel universe.

The person in the wrong was clearly the person who made the phone call.

Allinall

imme wrote: »

How was the employer responsible for the personal actions of their employee.
Were they directing his actions.
No details of that in the report.

Maybe the award was on the basis that management said that the man would be not paid for time he had to take to go to his GP, after the incident.

Decisions of the WRC that I have seen reported in the media and have come across in my own workplace have left me with the impression that the WRC is a parallel universe.

The person in the wrong was clearly the person who made the phone call.

The employer was responsible for their reaction , or lack thereof when the complaint was made. Hence the award against them, rather than for the complainant.

Any comment on the casual racism in your post?

Amalgam

Mouldy work place, they got off easy.

People have been awarded quadruple amounts for finding an earwig in their salad or stubbing a toe..

There's nothing worse than working with a nasty g**bag of a work colleague, who's got you cornered with some ****ehawk behaviour that goes on for days/weeks/months/years.

Amalgam

Allinall wrote: »

Any comment on the casual racism in your post?

Broad strokes with your internet brush there, Allinall.. any chance you could be a bit more specific with the issues you have with the post, instead of the lazy tarring?

Peregrine

anewme wrote: »

This reads terribly sad for the lad simply trying to do a days work and I would be very surprised if anyone came down on the side of the Employer in this one.

I'm not surprised at the people siding with the employer and referring to an employee calling another employee impersonating an immigration official, subjecting an employee to racial abuse and the employer not acting on it as 'banter'. I'm not at all surprised.

irishgrover

mikeecho wrote: »

The standard response of those poor unfortunates who lack the ability to defend the stupidity of their posts......

Allinall

Amalgam wrote: »

Broad strokes with your internet brush there, Allinall.. any chance you could be a bit more specific with the issues you have with the post, instead of the lazy tarring?

I presume you’ve read the original post I referred to, and quoted ?

My creason for seeing casual racism should be obvious from the last paragraph ..

What has direct flights or ferries from Kenya got to do with the thread topic?

Try_harder

Scummy thing to do to a colleague