City woman forced out by 'sexism'

Ms Tofeji joined the bank's London operation in 2000

A City trader was forced out of her job because of a culture of sexism, a tribunal has heard.

Katharina Tofeji, 38, says managers at BNP Paribas bank treated her unfairly after she announced she was pregnant, Kingsway Employment Tribunal heard.

Ms Tofeji is suing the bank for £1.3m compensation claiming sex discrimination, unfair constructive dismissal and breaches of maternity.

Ms Tofeji, from Brentwood in Essex, worked in the foreign exchange unit.

She claims she was treated badly after announcing her pregnancy in November 2004.

The tribunal heard her appraisals and bonuses did not reflect that she had been outperforming her colleagues.

Her 2005 bonus was £40,000 lower than the £55,000 bonus and £10,000 salary increase she received in 2003.

I had no clients, and no working computer, and nothing to do Katharina Tofeji

After leaving to go on maternity leave in May 2005, she said she quickly missed the excitement of her job.

She started looking for child care before returning to work and applied to the bank for a four-day working week - but this was refused.

She told the tribunal she felt "nervous" on her first day back at work.

"I woke up and was shaking and felt not very ambitious any more," she said.

On arrival at work she found her computer login profile was not sufficient to do her job properly and also discovered her old clients had been re-allocated to her colleagues.

"There was no practical reason why I couldn't just have my clients back, the same way that I had handed them over to the others in my team when I went away," she said.

"I had no clients, and no working computer, and nothing to do. Around me, the rest of the team were chatting about the business they were working on, with my clients.

"I felt that I was being pushed out of the team, and completely unhappy. I was an outsider. This couldn't have happened if I hadn't taken maternity leave."

She claimed she began to suffer from a mental breakdown as she went through a formal grievance procedure with the bank.

On medication

When she announced her resignation in June 2006, she was urged to stay on because another colleague had just resigned.

"So many years I had worked for them, loyal and ambitious, with no thanks for it," she said.

"But then a completely different story when they realised they were reduced in numbers."

She returned to Austria for several months in August last year and had been in therapy and on medication ever since, she said.

The hearing continues.