Council staff 'traded sex' claim

Tom McNeil claims seeing sex forced him out of his job

Aberdeen City Council staff traded sexual favours for promotion and courses, a tribunal has heard.

Tom McNeil, 52, claims he was forced to quit his senior post after he saw two people having sex in the office.

An employment tribunal heard there was a "culture of trading sexual favours" for promotion in the council's sports and leisure department.

And it was claimed that Mr McNeil was himself one of the managers involved. The hearing continues.

Mr McNeil said a married female worker, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was promoted and given a pay rise because she was sleeping with senior staff member Brian Woodcock.

However, council representative Mary Kearns said to Mr McNeil: "You are a sexual harasser.

"One female employee said that in the early days of her service she was told 'if you want to get on in this job you have to sleep with people'.

"There was a culture of trading sexual favours for advancement in your department."

'Bullying' style

Ms Kearns told the tribunal that a female staff member had told council bosses that Mr McNeil had been in a relationship with a woman.

She had also claimed that he had slept with a young member of staff while on a trip to London.

However, Mr McNeil denied the allegations.

Ms Kearns also said that Mr McNeil's management style was one of "bullying and harassment".

She said: "You regularly made comments about female members of staffs' bodies calling them 'big boobs' and 'six pinters'."