Union Official Ordered to Pay £15,000 After Losing Racism Claims
A union leader who sued UNISON for racism after his branch role was reassigned to a white man has been left with a £15,000 legal bill. This follows an investigation that revealed his output across 562 hours of taxpayer-funded time off to represent workers consisted of merely nine telephone calls.
Details of the Case and Investigation
Kebba Manneh, a senior NHS physiotherapy technician who chairs UNISON's national black workers committee, lost race discrimination cases against both his union and his employer, the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in Wales. Employment tribunals dismissed every complaint he brought forward.
Manneh, who also serves as a senior magistrate and chairs Cwmbran Community Council, had been granted 7.5 hours of paid time off weekly from his NHS duties to perform union branch work. This arrangement was funded by the health board and ultimately by taxpayers.
When the arrangement came under review in 2023, UNISON's branch secretary Andrea Prince scrutinised his productivity over a 75-day period, equivalent to 562 hours of paid leave. She concluded that his branch work was of such low volume that his secondment could not be renewed, noting it amounted to just nine phone calls.
Legal Proceedings and Tribunal Findings
Manneh alleged that the decision to remove his facility time was an act of race discrimination and that his role had been handed to a white man. He filed claims against UNISON and separately against the health board, accusing them of race harassment and direct discrimination.
The case against UNISON was dismissed before reaching trial. Employment Judge R Evans described the documentary evidence as 'utterly unambiguous' and stated that Manneh failed to produce a single piece of supporting evidence despite being asked three times.
The judge also found that Manneh, who holds a master's degree in employment relations from Keele University, had caused much of the delay in his own grievance investigation, which he had attributed to discrimination.
His separate claims against the health board were dismissed after a five-day hearing in November 2025. Manneh was ordered to pay £15,000 towards the health board's legal costs.
Background and Response
Manneh has worked for the health board since 1994, holds a master's degree in employment relations from Keele University, and has been a magistrate for 22 years. At his modern terraced house in Cwmbran, South Wales, he declined to comment on the tribunal result and his legal fees.
He said, 'I need to discuss things with my lawyers, there are still outstanding matters to be dealt with.'
