An Anglian Windows sales executive is in line for a payout of more than £200,000 after claiming she was sacked for having two children in just over a year.
According to the Daily Mail she was known as the ‘queen of double glazing’, Alison Prowse Piper, 37, suffered ‘humiliating and hostile’ treatment from directors at Anglian Home Improvements.
She led a division with a £90million turnover and her motivational speeches within the company were known as the ‘queen’s speech’. She’d been earning in the region of £100,000 per year in this role.
Directors, who had promoted her to the job of national manager of telecanvassing, had told her she was a natural leader who would soon have a seat on the board.
But after taking maternity leave twice in 14 months she said she felt ‘ostracised’ and her pay was cut by more than half to £30,000.
She was made redundant the day before she took summer holidays last year.
When her third child was born in 2006 - 14 months after her second - she returned from a further six months maternity leave to work for sales director Martin Troughton who said her job title was ‘highfalutin’ and her work was ‘pathetic and crap’.
While she was giving a presentation he ridiculed her work and said her mobile phone was ‘a useless brick’.
Announcing her second pregnancy in 2005, one director said: ‘Oh my God, you’re not, are you? I suppose I should offer you my congratulations.’
When she protested about being excluded from meetings she was told by a director ’she was being boring’. In March 2005 she complained of sexual discrimination.
Mrs Prowse Piper, of Plymouth, joined the company - one of Britain’s biggest fitters of windows, garage doors and conservatories - in 1988.
After having her first child Oliver, with husband Dean Piper in 1999, she returned to work after a few weeks.
Within five years she was promoted to become the national manager of telecanvassing commanding a £72,500 annual salary for a three-day week.
Mrs Prowse Piper has won her claim that she suffered sex discrimination, sexual harassment and unfair dismissal after an employment tribunal in Exeter in July.
She told the hearing that when she returned to work after the birth of her third child she received a letter about her salary.
‘I felt I was still the same person doing the same job and the same hours but I was being offered £30,000.’
She added: ‘I was the person who had headed up telecanvassing and been very successful and I could not understand why I was being ostracised and amputated.’
Employment judge Mrs Christa Christensen upheld all her claims in a judgment against Anglian which was has just been released.
In her ruling, Mrs Christensen said the way Mrs Prowse Piper was treated by three different directors was ‘ disrespectful, dismissive and demeaning’.
Anglian Home Improvements denied the allegations and directors said they did their utmost to help Mrs Prowse Piper return to work.
The tribunal is expected to award compensation - likely to be two or three times her salary - in November.
Anglian Windows, along with many other companies in the double glazing industry have been cutting jobs over the last two to three years.
8 responses so far ↓
1 sue // Sep 8, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Welldone. Sex discrimination, bullting and harrassment as well as unfair dismissal, after nearly 20 years with them you deserve a medal as well as a fat compensation cheque!!
2 Carl Birkenshaw // Sep 10, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I have know alison for over 20 years she deserves all that is coming to her, she was the person that has kept anglian in business producing sales each week and at one point nearly 50 % of company turnover many people owe her for what she has done, she has made a lot of people rich and 250k is know were near enough to be compinsation for a lady with so much passion and drive, as she had its just another nail in the coffin of anglian windows as a person that also has been working for anglian for 15 years i knew her very well and was close to her but i know how she was treated as i was treated very simalar to her,
hope she wins and gets all that comes to her,
Carl Birkenshaw
DIRECTOR Crownfold group
3 Jim.Bee // Sep 10, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Carl is a crap speller but holds a top job.
I spell and write my English faultlessly but never made any money yet.
If I try to make some mistakes when applying for a job at your firm, will this help to give me an advantage?
Sinsirley yewrs, Jim bee /
4 Jim.Bee // Sep 10, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I never missed a day at work, but have not fathered any children (as far as I know).
Does this preclude-(that means stop, Carl)- me from promotion and chance of rises -(in salary..)- after I have joined your staff?
Affekchionatly yurs,..Jim Bie.
5 Jay // Sep 12, 2008 at 11:21 am
Jim, you’re completely missing the point, which is probably why you’ve ‘never made any money’ yet. Alison Prowse Piper was clearly very good at her job and dedicated too, coming back to work a few weeks after giving birth.
Carl may be a crap speller (which I deplore) but good English skills doesn’t mean you can sell or direct a company.
6 Leighton // Sep 15, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Nice to see Jim B has such a good command of grammar. Not!
7 Ian // Sep 19, 2008 at 7:36 am
To paraphrase recent comments from Alan Sugar – a company would be mad to employ any woman of child bearing age.
That wasn’t a sexist comment, just a fact brought about by legislation.
Anglian, a company that has lost its way, going down the pan, in hock up to its eye brows – logic says they have to cut spending.
8 Carl Birkenshaw // Oct 21, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Well i must appoligize for my grammar and spelling, but i am a GOOD LEADER and SALES PERSON and have made a very good career for myself. And after 20 years sucess in this industry!!!! but may i also point out some people within high power jobs with simalar problems Tom Cruise, Richard Branson, George Patton, now i am not in this league but i do now my weakness thanks Jim Blee.
Carl
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