EasyJet cabin manager sacked after using Tannoy for ‘sexual comedy routine’

An easyJet cabin manager has claimed he was sacked for sexual harassment because he is a straight man.

Ross Barr was fired for gross misconduct for inappropriate comments towards colleagues and using the tannoy for comedy routines during safety briefings.

He was given a final warning in 2022 for his behavior after complaints from passengers and fellow cabin crew.

However, there were further complaints in the following two years, leading to him being sacked.

Among the comments Barr:

• Called his team ‘lovely ladies’ over the tannoy
• Told a colleague: ‘Oh, I’ve just brushed past your boobs’
• Said to another: ‘I’m not doing anything… I’m just staring at your ass’
• Told a colleague packing her bag: ‘Having a problem trying to stuff it in? Bet you’ve never had that problem’
• Referred to a flight attendant as his ‘much more attractive colleague’

One of his colleagues said Barr spent ‘the entire shift’ making sexual remarks. He told her that he had previously been suspended for his comments, justifying himself by saying: ‘All I said was that her tits would get bigger if she got pregnant, and guess what? They did.’

Barr insisted that what he had said was just ‘flirty banter’.

He claimed that he was being sexually discriminated because he was straight and his behavior would have been accepted if it was by ‘a gay colleague’.

However, employment judge Muriel Robinson rejected his appeal, telling him: ‘This is not the first time you have been in this situation with regard to your conduct and comments made to female crew members.

‘You raised that you were treated differently compared to others under similar circumstances due to your protected characteristics.

‘My investigation did not uncover any evidence to substantiate this claim.’

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