Nuclear firm ordered to pay employee banned from speaking own language at Scots site more than £10,000

A nuclear firm has been ordered to pay a former employee more than £10,000 after banning him from speaking his own language at a Scots site.

The claimant, who spoke to his family in Swahili over the phone during his lunch break, was told by Nuclear Restoration Services to only speak English at work on August 9, 2023.

The instruction was followed up by an email four days later.

The worker told his family in Tanzania that he could no longer speak to them during his lunch break as he could only speak English at work.

The man was “upset and humiliated by the instruction” and was concerned that he may lose his job.

A performance management programme was launched on August 30 regarding the claimant’s behaviour, which an employment tribunal found was based on the “racist view” that “speaking in Swahili was disruptive”.

The tribunal found that this then evolved into a “non-racist reason” regarding the man’s work performance in September 2023.

The claimant visited his GP and was prescribed sleeping pills and antidepressants. A grievance was raised with Nuclear Restoration Services, which has sites in Ayrshire, the Highlands and Dumfriesshire, regarding the employee being banned from speaking Swahili.

The company deemed that the grievance was “not subjected to race discrimination”.

The employment tribunal found that prior to the comment about speaking Swahili, there had been no issues were raised regarding the man’s work performance.

When the comment was later retracted, the claimant did not receive an apology and continued to be told that he must “talk appropriately on site”.

The tribunal stated that “it was reasonable and understandable that the environment felt hostile” and the comment and actions taken by the business had a “substantial impact”.

It was also left “troubled” by the respondents decision not to uphold the claimant’s grievance.

Following a hearing held in Glasgow on November 17, 2025, Nuclear Restoration Services was ordered to pay the claimant £9,000 as well as £1,875.94 in interest.