STING AND TRUDY GUILTY OF SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION? - StingUs - News on The Police, Sting, Steward Copeland and Andy Summers

Thu May 10 2007 | STING AND TRUDY GUILTY OF SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION?

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Bad publicity what ContactMusic.com and other news agencies and newspapers released just a few hours ago: A Southampton, England tribunal has found Sting and his wife Trudie Styler guilty of "shameful conduct" when they fired former chef Jane Martin while she was pregnant. Martin's GBP28,000 ($56,000) a year job with Sting, real name Gordon Sumner, and Styler was terminated in April 2006 after eight years of service. A tribunal has ruled the couple had unfairly dismissed Martin and that she had been the victim of sexual discrimination. The tribunal heard in March 2007 how Styler created a "climate of fear" over her staff. Martin claimed she was forced to work 14 hour days while pregnant and Styler was not sympathetic when she experienced sickness early in her pregnancy. Styler was alleged to have raged, "Who the f**k does she think she is? She's my chef in the UK. She needs to be available if I need her, or she should rethink her position," when Martin fell ill with stomach trouble. The tribunal ruling said, "(Martin's departure) was so badly mishandled and conducted in such an incompetent manner that the true purpose shines through the subterfuge and calumnious actions seeking to suppress the true facts. "Although Mrs Sumner (Styler) tried to distance herself from the various unlawful acts and have them carried out by minions on her behalf, when the evidence is looked at holistically, her involvement is clear. "She is without doubt the driving force manipulating others to perform her 'dirty work'. The position is aggravated by her lack of courage either to face the claimant directly and inform her she was no longer required or attend the tribunal to give evidence and have her machinations exposed to the light of day through cross-examination." The singer and his producer/actress wife must pay compensation to Martin. Martin's compensation payout will be decided at a hearing on June 8 2007. There is no limit on the amount awarded in sexual discrimination cases meaning Sting could be forced to pay record damages for a case involving a domestic servant.
Styler has released a statement, saying, "I am devastated by this decision and I will appeal... I wholly reject the tribunal's findings on this issue. Sting and I have been lucky over many years to have worked with loyal and long serving colleagues and staff. "Their collective loyalty and long service suggests that the picture of our household which Jane painted, and which the tribunal appears to have accepted, is a travesty... I am devastated that the tribunal's judgment makes this unjust and unfair attack on Sting and me. It does not, we believe, reflect the facts which were put before the hearing and we will be appealing."
She went on: "Jane Martin was always treated well and generously as an employee and we remain stunned at her actions and at the verdict of the tribunal. For Jane to suggest that I, as a mother, discriminated against her because of her pregnancy is risible to anyone who knows me. I wholly reject the tribunal's findings on this issue and many other issues."
The celebrity couple's solicitors Kerman and Co said they were "We are astonished at the decision which flies in the face of the significant concessions which Jane Martin was forced to give under crossexamination. Some of the tribunal's findings appear to be perverse and there will be an appeal. What is also disturbing is the unfair, unprecedented and unwarranted attack which the tribunal has chosen to make against Sting and Trudie Styler, which is inexplicable."

Posted on May 10, 07 | 10:51 pm

well, perhaps some people have found a way to revenge against two ex-proletarians become rich?
However, things have been managed in a stupid way. You cannot fire a pregnant woman, and papers should be clear on this. Someone is telling lies....

Posted by: micra on May 11, 07 | 1:32 am

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I agree, despite what was said or not, it really looks bad, firing a pregnant woman. I don't think there will be any way out of this one for them.

Posted by: Plaster on May 11, 07 | 2:04 am

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Without knowing the facts this smells bad, and Plaster is right. Firing a pregnant woman not only looks bad but it is bad. This simply reinforces something I think we all know. We can love the band but don't make them out to be the greatest people or the worst people when we have no clue what kind of people they are.
Hopefully Sting and Trudie did not act poorly.

Posted by: mets on May 11, 07 | 3:21 am

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That's bad, it's true... Now, I think Stingus's picture on this article is quite right about how Sting must feel with that story...

Posted by: Brandnew on May 11, 07 | 6:03 am

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Wow, this kinda thing seems to happen to Sting alot!! I can't figure Trudie out, I would hope she's not like that at all, but who knows?! :/

Yeah great choice of picture! lol!

I read that as "cross-sex-examination"! ha ha, it is kinda late here! :P

Posted by: Lady Dolphin on May 11, 07 | 12:05 pm

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Sounds like someone is after a quick buck. wouldn't be the first time someone has tried it. sounds like she was over paid anyway, £28,000!!!! for making food?????

Posted by: Neil on May 11, 07 | 4:53 pm

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At the same time, she was a chef. So I guess, it means making a lot of food, with a team and everything. To that level of cooking, I'm not sure 28,000 is the ultimate price. It could be really more expensive (even for her)

Posted by: Brandnew on May 11, 07 | 10:36 pm

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Well, this case seems to be a mix of bad understanding of people, rules and the law (the last one at least is said to be definite, the other components and people certainly not) and chefs are notoriuosly famous divas in the true sense as any restaurant manager in practice or education can tell you! The chefs there always ordered people about pretty well too!

If all people has known and kept to the law this mess certainly would not have ended before a tribunal....

Posted by: TarAncalime on May 12, 07 | 12:08 am

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