Race discrimination employment tribunal highlights ‘serious issues’ at Camden Council

New guidelines relating to redundancy procedures have been issued at Camden Council following an employment tribunal which upheld claims of racial discrimination.

Fraser Valdez, an environmental management officer, took the council to a tribunal.

He said he was overlooked for a new role because of a racial divide in his department.

The decision was made amid major organisational changes and redundancies at the council in 2011.

Mr Valdez claimed that despite leaked documents indicating that he was placed above other candidates, a white colleague was given the job instead of him to maintain a racial balance.

A review into the case found “a serious catalogue of errors, a significant lack of training and support for managers and some critical flaws in Camden Council’s organisational change procedure and practices”.

A report issued to members of the resources and corporate performance scrutiny committee said the Valdez case “raised serious issues”.

As a result a series of recommendations have been published.

These include clarifying what organisational change should and should not be used for, consistent decision-making when making redundancies, and for managers to receive training in organisational change.