Construction Boss Fined Over £23,500 for Racist 'Potato' Taunts Against Irish Employee
A company director who went viral after being ordered to pay more than £23,500 for repeatedly calling an Irish worker a 'potato' has admitted he got it 'badly wrong' while claiming he thought it was merely 'workplace banter'. Mick Atkins, 56, says he has been unable to sleep as his construction firm's 24-hour hotline was bombarded with calls following the tribunal ruling, and has even received death threats.
Hostile Environment Created by Repeated Slurs
Mr Atkins was ordered to pay bookkeeper Bernadette Hayes thousands in compensation after an employment tribunal ruled he had subjected her to racial harassment by calling her a 'potato', 'Paddy' and 'pikey'. Ms Hayes, who was born in Portadown, Northern Ireland, said the remarks left her feeling 'small, insecure, violated and extremely anxious', adding that she came to dread going into work at building contractor West Leeds Civils.
Now Mr Atkins says he wants to publicly apologise for what he had thought was harmless 'playful banter' and admitted the case had been a 'hard lesson to learn'. He stated: 'I genuinely thought it was workplace banter. I can see now I got that badly wrong. What I thought was messing about was clearly not taken that way, and I am sorry for the distress it caused Bernie.'
Online Abuse and Threats Follow Tribunal Ruling
Mick Atkins, a father-of-three from Bradford, West Yorkshire, said he has since been subjected to abusive messages and threats online. He revealed: 'I've been getting calls day and night from withheld numbers. I've had to delete my social media. One woman screamed down the phone that I should hang my head in shame. Another asked me, "what are you playing at?"'
He continued: 'There was one Irish guy who said, "Me and the boys are over next week - we're going to pay you a visit." They've got hold of the company's 24-hour phone number and have been ringing every ten minutes. Some of the messages have been vile. I've had people calling me all sorts and there have been threats made. It's frightening, to be honest.'
Mr Atkins added that this is the first time in his life that he is thinking of 'just wrapping up and calling it a day', acknowledging that while he accepts he shouldn't have made the comments, he doesn't feel he deserves death threats.
Tribunal Details and Compensation Award
The tribunal heard that Ms Hayes began working for the civil engineering contractor in 2021 as an office and finance manager. Her harassment claim centred on comments made by Mr Atkins over a six-month period between December 2023 and June 2024. She alleged that 'volatile' Mr Atkins and his business partner Marcus Smith 'embarrassed' her by making the comments - including calling her a 'potato' on WhatsApp.
Interestingly, the tribunal was told that Ms Hayes herself had used the word 'potato' and sent an emoji of the vegetable to Mr Atkins. Ms Hayes, from Ossett, West Yorkshire, said she did so simply to 'fit in' and 'make it seem okay'. Text message exchanges showed Ms Hayes sending a potato emoji, and responding with laughing emojis when Mr Atkins joked that her passport photo looked like 'Bee from Prisoner Cell Block H in a wig'.
Judge Sophie Buckley ruled his comments created a 'hostile, humiliating and offensive environment' for Ms Hayes. She claimed she had suffered panic attacks and insomnia after 'months of harassment and bullying' and working in a 'hostile and toxic environment'.
Ms Hayes told the three-day tribunal in Leeds: 'If we had a disagreement, he would shout potato in a strong Irish accent over and over again. He [did] this in front of other members of staff. He would shout potato as soon as he walked in the office without having me having even spoken to him. This totally eroded my self-respect and my self esteem.'
She added: 'He even sent "potato" in a WhatsApp exchange. Mr Atkins further called me a gypsy/traveller due to my Irish heritage. He would constantly say that I was lusting after the travellers outside the office. I felt bullied and harassed by this.'
Legal Judgment and Financial Impact
Judge Buckley added: 'In my view, taken as a whole, it is reasonable for an individual of Irish heritage to find the repeated use of the terms 'potato', 'Paddy', 'stupid Paddy' and 'pikey' offensive and humiliating. These phrases are overtly linked to race, particularly when considered together rather than in isolation.'
Ms Hayes was awarded compensation totalling £23,526, including £13,000 in 'injury to feelings' and £6,014 related to loss of earnings. Mr Atkins estimated the total financial hit from the case at around £60,000, once the £23,000 compensation payout and legal costs were taken into account.
Despite his claims of supporting the Irish community in Leeds - including donating trucks for the city's St Patrick's Day carnival parade and pledging £1,000 to a charity lunch at Leeds Irish Centre - Mr Atkins admitted the tribunal outcome had forced him to confront the consequences of his behaviour.
He said: 'I'm scared to have conversations with my staff now in case I accidentally offend them or if it's taken out of context and used against me. But I accept that no-one should feel small or humiliated at work because of something their boss says.'
Ms Hayes said she did not wish to comment on the tribunal ruling, adding: 'I'd just like to put everything behind me and move on.'
