Former employee sues IBM for racial harassment
Man of Yemeni descent claims he was subjected to racial slurs that harmed his productivity, led to dismissal
Boaz (alias name), who worked for the computer giant for eight years, filed a lawsuit against the company Monady for the sum of NIS 1 million ($264,000) with the Regional Labor Court in Tel Aviv.
According to the suit, trouble began some two years ago when Boaz was appointed to the office of manager of the technical support unit at IBM.
"After he was promoted to a managerial position, he started hearing racial slurs about his Yemeni ethnicity from other company employees and managers," says the lawsuit, which was filed by attorneys Eyal Sternberg and Moran Fattel, both with Eitan Mehulal Law group.
"He was called 'black', 'Shoko' (Coco), 'Bin Laden' and was told slogans such as 'no entry to blacks' and more.
"Although he turned to his superiors, including the general manager, they shut the door in his face and would not hold a meeting to clarify the matter," it claims.
"The racial affliction influenced his working conditions and affected the way he functioned at the work place, to the point where he needed to undergo psychological treatment.
"Eventually, the company decided to demote him, and finally fired the father of four," the suit concludes.
Demoted and then Fired
"He was the only Mizrahi in a group of Ashkenazim," attorney Fattal told Ynet. "He suffered their racism day by day, hour by hour.
"Imagine you come to repair your manager's computer, and when there is some sort of malfunction with the repair, he asks you whether you chewed on Khat leaves (a plant that is chewed as a natural stimulant in Africa) the night before," added Fattal.
Are you claiming there is a causal relation between his termination and the racist treatment he received? Was he let go because he is Mizrahi, or Yemenite?
"That was not the grounds for his dismissal. He was fired because he was demoted from a managerial position and could not fit any junior position in the company."
Why was he demoted to a junior position?
"In the beginning, the manager told him that he threatened other employees. After he denied the allegations, she changed the claim and said he was not being productive enough".
And was that not true?
"His productivity was harmed due to the constant insults and personal attacks. You cannot function in a working environment in which you are constantly humiliated because of where you come from."
IBM management refused to comment on the case, claiming they do not discuss the personal affairs of their employees with the media.
