Latest news with #MohammedSaleem
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
‘Spiteful' boss cut pregnant accountant's hours after she told him she had morning sickness
A 'spiteful' boss cut his pregnant employee's work hours after she told him she had morning sickness, and then fired her when her maternity leave was due to start, a tribunal has heard. Sadia Shakil had worked as an accountant and bookkeeper at the property development firm Samsons in Bedford since October 2020, and became pregnant early the following year. But after Ms Shakil phoned her boss Mohammed Saleem on 30 March 2021 to inform him that she was experiencing morning sickness due to her pregnancy, he then proceeded to tell her in an email the following day that he was cutting her working hours. In the email seen by the tribunal, Mr Saleem wrote: 'Considering that I am unable to give you extra work as I am abroad and in view that you are feeling unwell during your pregnancy it would be best if you only come into work for 2 days per week.' The tribunal ruled that this was a 'fundamental' breach of Ms Shakil's employment contract, which caused her to experience 'stress, anxiety and panic' while questioning how she and her husband would be able to afford essential items for their baby now that their main source of income had been unilaterally reduced. During this period, Ms Shakil suffered sleepless nights and panic attacks while being 'plagued by worrisome thoughts', including 'doubts about whether she had done the right thing to have a baby at all when she was not financially stable'. After informing her boss that she needed to resign, Ms Shakil managed to secure a second full-time job in May, but she continued to work at Samsons in her spare time in the hope she would be able to resume her full-time role at the firm after her maternity leave. In the months that followed, Mr Saleem ignored multiple emails from Ms Shakil about her upcoming maternity leave, 'which caused her further stress and worry', at a time when she also suffered complications, being admitted to hospital on two occasions. By the end of September, blood tests had revealed a potentially serious condition which Ms Shakil was told put her baby at risk of still birth, resulting in the hospital booking her in to have her baby induced on 17 October. Two days after Ms Shakil's final email on 27 September, informing Mr Saleem that her leave would now commence on 1 October, he finally responded – referring to a letter she had not received 'putting her role at risk of redundancy '. Ms Shakil was dismissed with effect from 1 October 2021, when she began maternity leave, the tribunal noted. After her son was born on 18 October, the family were forced to move back in with Ms Shakil's parents 'due to the financial pressure that [her] loss of employment and lack of maternity pay had created'. Ms Shakil's subsequent claim to the Department for Work and Pensions for maternity allowance was then rejected on the grounds that her employer was responsible for paying it. 'The claimant's early weeks and months with her new baby were marred by the need to devote time to trying to resolve her financial predicament and bringing the employment tribunal proceedings,' the tribunal found. After an initial tribunal in Birmingham in April 2023, Ms Shakil was awarded £5,000 in damages for maternity discrimination and Samsons ordered to pay her for income lost while on reduced hours. In an email sent in June 2023 in which he asked Ms Shakil to provide her bank details so that he could pay her the sum awarded by the tribunal, Mr Saleem wrote 'I hope that you have a wonderful time utilising the monies gained from me', adding that the loss of money 'will make no difference to me'. A further appeal hearing in March 2025 found that Ms Shakil 'was horrified' by the email – which she described as 'disturbing and 'nasty' – and 'was shocked that Mr Saleem could be so spiteful to her'. Ms Shakil's appeal that the sum awarded to her had been too low was accepted, and the judge ordered Samsons to pay her a total of £31,860. Finding it to be a 'serious case of discrimination', the tribunal found: 'The discrimination took place at a time in the claimant's life which she had hoped and planned would be exciting and happy – the pregnancy, birth and early life of her first child. 'Instead, she suffered physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety and distress. These included sleepless nights, panic attacks, intrusive anxious thoughts and tearfulness. There was evidence that the claimant's confidence and self-esteem were damaged by the discrimination. 'These symptoms persisted from the time she was told that her hours had been cut to two days per week, until her baby was born. The symptoms did not stop then, however, because of the claimants' ongoing financial struggles.' It added: 'The effects of the discriminatory dismissal were ongoing at the time of the hearing, four years later, because the claimant is still worried that she might have a similar experience with her new employer if she decides to have another baby.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Pregnant accountant wins £30k payout after her 'spiteful' boss cut her hours when she called in with morning sickness before she was sacked in 'sham' redundancy
A pregnant accountant has won more than £30,000 after her boss cut her hours when she called in with morning sickness before sacking her just as she was due to go on maternity leave. Sadia Shakil was told by property boss Mohammed Saleem 'it would be best if you only come into work for two days per week' after she told him she was pregnant and experiencing sickness, a tribunal heard. This forced Mrs Shakil to take on another full-time job to cope with the financial pressures of an upcoming baby - and still had to find time in evenings and at weekends to fulfill the two days work for her 'spiteful' boss. The burden of money worries weighed on her so heavily she questioned if it was the 'right thing to have a baby' and didn't enjoy pregnancy. However, Mr Saleem ignored her throughout her pregnancy and sacked her just as she was due to go on maternity leave in a 'sham' redundancy. Now a tribunal has ordered Mr Saleem's property development company to pay Mrs Shakil £31,860 after she sued him for maternity discrimination. 'Hateful' Mr Saleem even described Mrs Shakil's pregnancy as 'embarrassing' during tribunal proceedings, it was heard. Birmingham Employment Tribunal was told Mrs Shakil joined Mr Saleem's company Samsons Ltd, based in Bedford, Beds, in October 2020. She became pregnant in early 2021 and in March 2021 called Mr Saleem to say she was unwell due to morning sickness as she was pregnant. The following day he 'unilaterally reduced her hours of work from full-time to two days per week', it was heard. He told Mrs Shakil: 'After careful thought and deliberation especially considering that I am unable to give you extra work as I am abroad and in view that you are feeling unwell during your pregnancy it would be best if you only come into work for two days per week.' It was a 'financial struggle' for Mrs Shakil to only work two days per week because her husband was out of a job at the time so she was the main source of their income. A tribunal report said: 'She was motivated to stay with [Samsons Ltd] as she had accrued sufficient pre-pregnancy service to qualify for maternity leave, which would not be the case with new employment. '[She] experienced stress, anxiety and panic from the time that [Mr Saleem] reduced her hours to part-time. 'She did not know how she and her husband were going to manage financially and how she would be able to afford all the things needed for a new baby. '[Her] anxiety manifested itself over the period after April 2021 in sleepless nights, low self-esteem, frequent tearfulness, rumination and being 'plagued by worrisome thoughts day and night', including doubts about whether she had done the right thing to have a baby at all when she was not financially stable. 'She experienced panic attacks and had feelings of fear that she would not be able to obtain alternative or additional work if prospective employers found out she was pregnant. 'This led her to set about concealing her pregnancy with baggy clothes or by asking for interviews to be conducted remotely. 'This inhibited [her] enjoyment of her pregnancy because she felt she had to conceal it much of the time. During interviews she would feel embarrassed and anxious.' After just over a month, Mrs Shakil obtained a full-time job in a second finance role. The report said: 'She hoped that, if she did this job alongside the part-time hours she still had with [Samsons Ltd] to make ends meet, she would be able to return to full-time hours with [the company] once she returned from maternity leave.' While pregnant, she had to work 8.30am to 5pm five days per week, had to commute 45 minutes to that job once a week, then fit in two days of work with Samsons Ltd and travel to the office to do paperwork in evenings and at weekends. As her pregnancy progressed she felt 'confused' by a lack of correspondence from Mr Saleem about her maternity leave. She suffered complications and was booked in to be induced so informed Mr Saleem she was going to begin her maternity leave on October 1. But a couple of days before, he sacked her due to 'redundancy'. He also claimed he had no idea she was pregnant. After the arrival of her newborn son, Mrs Shakil and her husband had to move in with her parents after she lost her job and the early weeks with her baby were 'marred' by trying to resolve her money issues. The tribunal found that Mr Saleem sacked Mrs Shakil because she was pregnant, not redundancy. Employment Judge Vereena Jones said: 'The discrimination took place at a time in [Mrs Shakil's] life which she had hoped and planned would be exciting and happy - the pregnancy, birth and early life of her first child. 'Instead, she suffered physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety and distress. These included sleepless nights, panic attacks, intrusive anxious thoughts and tearfulness. 'There was evidence that her confidence and self-esteem were damaged by the discrimination. These symptoms persisted from the time she was told that her hours had been cut to two days per week, until her baby was born. 'The symptoms did not stop then, however, because of her ongoing financial struggles. '[Mrs Shakil] had to take a second job to mitigate the effects of the discrimination. This meant she has to work very long hours during what was a difficult pregnancy. '[She] was confused and distressed by Mr Saleem's behaviour... Mr Saleem was someone known to [her] family and considerably senior to her in age and authority in the organisation and in her community. '[Mrs Shakil's] feelings were further hurt by her dismissal on the sham basis... that her job was redundant. 'The effects of the discriminatory dismissal were ongoing at the time of the hearing, four years later, because [she] is still worried that she might have a similar experience with her new employer if she decides to have another baby.'
Associated Press
15-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
HODL 2025 Opens in Dubai, Advancing the Emirates' Position as a Global Financial Innovation Hub
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES / ACCESS Newswire / May 15, 2025 / HODL 2025, organised by Trescon, the world's longest-running Web3 event, officially opened today at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of blockchain and decentralized finance (DeFi). The prestigious two-day event follows the Dubai FinTech Summit that commenced on 12th May. During the Summit's opening ceremony, His Excellency Essa Kazim, Governor of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), announced the launch of the inaugural Dubai Future Finance Week, scheduled for 2026. This flagship initiative will bring together major financial events-including Dubai FinTech Summit, Future Sustainability Forum, Private Capital Forum, Seamless Middle East, HODL Summit, and Dubai Future District Fund AGM-under a unified theme: 'Pioneering tomorrow's financial landscape: Innovation, sustainability, and global connectivity.' 'Being part of the upcoming Dubai Future Finance Week reflects our commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration in the Web3 space,' said Mohammed Saleem, Founder & Chairman, Trescon. 'We are proud to contribute to Dubai's vision of becoming a global financial powerhouse.' Crypto Rulebook: Toward Global Standards A day 1 highlight was the expert panel 'Crypto rulebook: Global best practices and regulatory measures', moderated by Saqr Ereiqat, Secretary General, Dubai Digital Asset Association. Speakers included: 'We want to have the best ecosystem for entrepreneurs to run their business.' - Dyma Budorin 'Regulations need to catch up and work together.' - Samir Safar-Aly The discussion emphasized the need for global regulatory coherence and innovation-friendly compliance frameworks. Insuring Web3: A $6 Trillion Opportunity Another standout session, 'Insuring the Future of Crypto: Bridging Risk & Innovation in the Digital Asset Economy', spotlighted the crucial role of insurance in de-risking digital finance. 'Insurance has been a bedrock component of sustainability; it is a $6 trillion market.' - Joseph Ziolkowski The panel explored how risk-aligned insurance solutions are key to unlocking institutional trust and long-term ecosystem resilience. During his session, Cristian Ulloa, Co-Founder & CEO of Liquid Loans, Platinum sponsor of HODL 2025, shared valuable strategies for building wealth in crypto while steering clear of common pitfalls that lead to crypto regret. Global Leaders on the HODL Stage Day 1 also featured other prominent speakers sharing insights across DeFi, tokenisation, compliance, and blockchain banking including: View the full speaker lineup and agenda: Ecosystem Support: HODL 2025 @ponsors and exhibitors Sponsors: Platinum: Liquid After Party: Coinvoyage Gold: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Gofaizen & Sherle Silver: Facephi Bronze: Skygate Network, FMCPay, Pays Solutions, PEP Exhibitors: SWAG42, Thesaurum, Travel Swap, Any2Pay Startup Pods: Scintilla, Boston Trading Co, Ace Capital, vbanq Top Media Partners Covering HODL 2025 HODL 2025 is proudly backed by leading media outlets amplifying its global reach: These partnerships ensure HODL 2025 headlines the conversation on Web3, innovation, and the decentralised future. About HODL HODL, born from the legacy of the iconic World Blockchain Summit (WBS) and organised by Trescon, is the world's longest running blockchain event series with 29 global editions across cities like Dubai, Singapore, and Bangkok. Since 2017, HODL has served as a platform for blockchain deal-making, innovation, and connecting disruptive projects with investors, enterprises, and governments. Join HODL Dubai on May 14-15, 2025, to engage with industry leaders, explore cutting-edge blockchain developments, and secure your place at the forefront of Web3 innovation. For more information visit Media Contact: Shadi Dawi [email protected] SOURCE: Trescon Global press release
