Bank accused of sex discrimination

First National Bank is being sued for £60,000

A former bank employee who alleges she was the victim of sex discrimination has launched a £60,000 action.

Pauline Mitchell, 31, said she returned from maternity leave to find her job at First National Bank in Glasgow no longer existed.

The former administration manager said the experience left her suffering from stress and meant a loss of earnings.

The bank has defended the action and said the change in Mrs Mitchell's job was down to restructuring.

I worked hard for the bank for 10 years and I am still loyal to the company. I have nothing against them but the manager who dealt with me handled things badly

Pauline Mitchell

Mrs Mitchell joined the bank 10 years ago and was promoted to her former £20,000 manager's position in 1997.

But Mrs Mitchell alleged that her job had disappeared when she returned from maternity leave in June last year.

Pay rise

She said: "There was no role for me, I had nothing to do so I went in to help another section who were snowed under."

After a meeting with her office manager, Mrs Mitchell said she was told restructuring had taken place in her absence and that her old job had been absorbed by other members of staff.

She also alleged that everyone in the office, except her, had been given a pay rise.

After further meetings with management and her union, Mrs Mitchell was offered a project management role but at that point she decided to leave.

"The job description said I must achieve certain levels of service and I was going to be closely scrutinised by the office manager," she said.

"I just felt he would make things difficult for me and that they would try and get rid of me so I resigned."

'Letter of resignation'

"I worked hard for the bank for 10 years and I am still loyal to the company. I have nothing against them but the manager who dealt with me handled things badly."

A spokesman for First National said: "As part of that reorganisation, the posts of administration manager - one of which was held by Pauline Mitchell - were replaced by posts of team leader.

"Pauline Mitchell was offered one of these posts but instead resigned.

"In her letter of resignation, Pauline Mitchell said that she was not accepting or declining the new role. She said that she was not confident at doing it."