Rhondda Co-op worker wins race discrimination tribunal

Gerardo Brando-Calderon moved to the Taff's Well store in a bid to get promoted

A Colombian man's hopes of being a Co-op store manager were hampered by race discrimination, a tribunal has ruled.

Gerardo Brando-Calderon, 52, who is mixed race, was told he had to take a provisional demotion after moving to the Rhondda Valley from London.

He dropped from a manager position to deputy manager at the Garden Village store in Gilfach Goch in October 2013.

Despite what he called a verbal promise to become a store manager, he never progressed back to that level.

Judge Philip Davies said it was "striking" there was not one non-white store manager across the Co-op's 81 stores in the south Wales region.

He accepted "this in itself does not prove or show discrimination" and rejected claims Mr Brando-Calderon was paid less because of his race.

Mr Brando-Calderon started working for Co-op in 2002 and, by 2013, was a store manager in south London, earning more than £30,000 a year.

Harassment claims

After his move to Wales, he was told he would have to take a step down until a store manager job became available - cutting his salary to about £15,000.

A transfer to the Taff's Well store in December 2014 did not help his efforts to get promoted.

He was diagnosed with severe depression in January 2017 and has not returned to work since, the tribunal in Cardiff heard.

Judge Davies found that "either consciously or sub-consciously, because of Mr Brando-Calderon's race" his career had not progressed.

"We find that there was less favourable treatment to Mr Brando-Calderon because of his race as compared to others of a white Welsh or white British ethnic make-up who have secured management positions in the south Wales area," he added.

The employment tribunal found in Mr Brando-Calderon's favour on two cases of race discrimination, but rejected claims of harassment and age discrimination, along with other aspects of his race discrimination complaint.

Judge Davies urged Mr Brando-Calderon and the Co-operative Group Ltd to agree a settlement or there will be another hearing to determine the level of compensation.