Sellafield 'whistleblower' claiming £1.17m

A consultant who says her contract at Sellafield was terminated for whistleblowing is seeking to claim £1.17m, a tribunal has been told.

Alison McDermott said she was let go in 2018 after she wrote a report alleging bullying, harassment and homophobic abuse at the nuclear site in Cumbria.

Sellafield said it was because her work was "fundamentally flawed".

Her claim is against Sellafield, its HR director Heather Roberts, and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Deshpal Panesar QC, representing Sellafield and Ms Roberts, said: "Even before her claim was lodged the claimant sought a multimillion-pound settlement from the NDA."

The £1.17m equated to £56,000 for each of the 21 days she had been employed by the site, he told the hearing in Leeds.

He said Ms McDermott was "prepared to ruin" the careers of those she had worked with, and the contract was terminated because her work on equality, diversity and inclusion was "fundamentally flawed".

During her evidence, Ms McDermott said reports of "vile" homophobic abuse at the nuclear fuel reprocessing and decommissioning site were not investigated and no action was taken against a member of the HR team who allegedly told inappropriate jokes, touched female colleagues and bragged about sexual conquests.

The tribunal heard the contract, with her company Interim Diversity Ltd, was terminated after she submitted a draft report which was critical of the HR department.

James Arnold, representing Ms McDermott, said: "This was a lady concerned with equality, diversity and inclusion, it was deeply embedded in her psyche and she was raising concerns.

"She did nothing wrong in doing so.

"When she thought those concerns weren't being addressed she turned to the governing body.

"In my submission, it was brave of her to do so."

Rachael Levene, representing the NDA, said the authority had nothing to do with Ms McDermott's complaints.

Employment judge Philip Lancaster said a written judgment would be given when the panel had finished deliberations.

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