"I firmly believe he is racist or has an issue with women."
A fine art lecturer who accused a colleague of racism and sexism after being denied access to a printer has lost her tribunal case.
Samiya Younis sued London-based United Colleges Group after being dismissed.
She had accused reprographics officer Aiden Daley of being “incredibly rude”, “racist” and “having an issue with women” when he told her she could not use IT equipment in a restricted-access room.
Her complaint was dismissed as “inappropriate” and “unsubstantiated”.
The college later terminated her employment, citing low student attendance and multiple complaints about her “behaviour and attitude”.
Ms Younis, who is of South Asian heritage, claimed the college had an “institutional culture of denial and exclusion”.
However, an employment tribunal dismissed her claims, finding no evidence of discrimination.
Employment Judge Sarah Keogh ruled that Ms Younis had a “propensity to make serious allegations” and had been “angered” by Mr Daley’s refusal to comply with her request.
Ms Younis joined United Colleges Group in September 2021 as a fine art lecturer.
The institution, formed by the merger of City of Westminster College and the College of North West London, had around 13 printers for staff and student use.
However, printers in the reprographics room were restricted due to their role in printing confidential documents.
In October 2021, Mr Daley saw the art lecturer at a printer in a restricted room.
He offered her his swipe card to access the equipment but noticed she was using editing functions, which he believed would be time-consuming.
He suggested she scan the image and edit it on a computer instead.
Mr Daley claimed her “demeanour changed” and she “became argumentative”, insisting she could use the machine. She later accused him of racism and sexism.
In May 2022, Ms Younis attempted to access the reprographics room again.
Mr Daley refused, citing college policy. She asked for an exception, which he denied. She called him “so rude” and said: “I’m staff, I should be able to use it”.
She later emailed a colleague, describing Mr Daley as “incredibly rude and dismissive”, adding:
“I firmly believe he is racist or has an issue with women. His behaviour is not acceptable at all.”
That same day, she messaged 53 staff members, including five managers, asking if others had “issues” with Mr Daley. She then filed a formal grievance, citing the printer incidents.
The grievance was dismissed, with a senior colleague stating:
“The accusation of racism and sexism is unsubstantiated. It was inappropriate for [Ms Younis] to make assumptions based on limited interactions.”
While her appeal was under review, Mr Daley received an award for “Excellent Customer Service”.
Ms Younis claimed this reflected a “culture of systemic cover-up” but the tribunal called the claim “baseless and somewhat bizarre”.
In August 2022, the college dismissed her. Management cited low student attendance, “numerous” student complaints, and complaints from almost the entire art department about her “behaviour and attitude”.
She then sued the college for discrimination based on race, sex, religion, and belief.
The college argued that she “does not like not getting what she wants” and has “no regard for rules and instruction” if they conflict with her wishes.
Judge Keogh dismissed her claims, stating: “The [college] had a clear policy for the reprographics room due to confidential documents and high-volume printing.
“There is no evidence that Mr Daley would have allowed any other unauthorised staff member to use the room.”
The judge ruled Mr Daley’s refusal was based entirely on policy and “nothing to do with [Ms Younis’] race or sex”.
The tribunal concluded that she was “angered by Mr Daley’s refusal to do what she wanted” and sought “punitive action against him”.
Her case was dismissed.
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