Barclays VP Sues Bank For $290K Alleging Racial, Religious And Gender Discrimination

A vice president at Barclays PLC BCS has filed a lawsuit against the bank, claiming she was discriminated against due to her race, religion, and gender. The lawsuit seeks compensation of approximately $290,000.

What Happened: Nazia Lawrence, a vice president at Barclays, has taken legal action against the bank, alleging that she was denied a promotion due to racial, religious, and gender discrimination, Reuters reported. Lawrence, who joined the bank in 2015, works in the execution services division, a crucial part of the bank responsible for implementing post-crisis risk management rules, risk, and controls.

Lawrence claimed in a statement submitted to a London employment tribunal that she felt “completely let down” by Barclays. She alleged that despite an expanded role and exceptional performance reports in 2019, she was treated less favorably than her white male counterparts at the same professional level, who were promoted while she was not.

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When she raised her concerns with mentors, she was given additional responsibilities that were supposed to lead to a promotion. However, she observed her white male and female colleagues being promoted above her, even after she had guided one of them. As her complaints became more formalized, her performance ratings reportedly began to decline.

Lawrence’s suit also claims that she suffered mental distress and took annual leave and periods of unpaid sick leave to recover. In addition to financial compensation, she has requested the Employment Tribunal to recommend further training at Barclays and a transparent process for promotions.

Barclays did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.

Why It Matters: Discrimination lawsuits have been a recurring issue across various industries. In the finance sector, major banks like JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup have faced criticism for unexpected account shutdowns, leading to accusations of discrimination.

In the tech industry, Amazon has been confronted with gender discrimination claims, with three employees filing a landmark lawsuit against the company. In a similar vein, Microsoft‘s Activision Blizzard settled a gender discrimination case for $55 million, highlighting the prevalence of such issues in the corporate world.

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