A London 2012 Games Maker who claims she experienced discrimination and harrassment while working as a volunteer has received a financial settlement from the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
Tracy Part, who worked with the catering, cleaning and waste team in the Athletes Village during last summer’s Olympics in London, has received an undisclosed sum. Before reaching the agreement with Locog, Part had said she was seeking about £5,000 in compensation.
Part has dropped an employment tribunal case, which would have seen her bring a claim against Locog for discrimination arising from disability, indirect discrimination, failure to make reasonable adjustments and harassment under the Equality Act 2010.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of X v Mid Sussex Citizens Advice Bureau that volunteers do not have protection from discrimination in law. A volunteer, who claimed to have been forced out of her role because of a chronic health condition, had wanted to bring a case for disability discrimination at an employment tribunal. However, it ruled that she was unable to appeal under the Disability Discrimination Act because it did not apply to volunteers.
Before reaching an agreement with Locog, Part, from London, had admitted that success at an employment tribunal was "unlikely" given the Supreme Court decision. The 42-year-old PhD student, a former maths teacher, is disabled and has epilepsy and chronic arthritis, which makes it difficult for her to stand still for prolonged periods.
A spokeswoman for Locog said it was not appropriate to comment as this was a confidential matter between Locog and Part.
