Civil servant wins tie case

A civil servant who claimed he was a victim of sexual discrimination because he was ordered to wear a collar and tie to work has won his employment tribunal case.

Matthew Thompson, 32, from Stockport, complained that a dress code at the Jobcentre where he worked required men to wear a tie but allowed women to wear T-shirts.

Mr Thompson, an administrative assistant, said he was "delighted" at the decision of the Manchester tribunal.

The Department for Work and Pensions said it was "very disappointed" and announced it was lodging an appeal.

The Public and Commercial Services union, which supported the case, said the decision was a "victory for common sense".

The union has a number of other cases lined up which it will now raise with Whitehall departments.

"The tribunal's ruling means that the dress code is discriminatory," said a union spokesman. "It forces management to sit down with us and come to a negotiated solution."

But the Department for Work and Pensions said it still maintained that dress standards were an important part of providing a professional service to the public.

"We are going to ask our staff to continue to dress in a professional and businesslike way pending the appeal," said an official.

Mr Thompson told the tribunal last month that new dress code rules meant that women could wear T-shirts and football tops but men had to stick to a collar and tie.

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