A CARE worker is in line for a £10,000 plus payout amid claims he was racially abused by a colleague and his bosses failed to act.

Jay Johnson told management at Key Care and Support he didn't like working at a particular care home because he had been subjected to racist remarks.

He said one female worker said she didn't want to work with black people, an employment tribunal in Manchester was told.

But agency worker Mr Johnson, from Clitheroe, was sent back to Mather Fold, less than a fortnight later, where he reported a further incident of alleged racist abuse.

Rachel Wright, who worked in the office at Key Care and Support at the time, insisted Mr Johnson had not raised the racial abuse matter.

However Mr Johnson was adamant he had refused further shifts at Mather Fold, in Higher Walton, and the only reason he returned was because his employers persuaded him to do so.

In the meantime Mr Johnson, who used to be based at the company's Blackburn office before being transferred to their Preston operation, was informed there had been a safeguarding complaint made against him.

The tribunal was told that ultimately this complaint, which Mr Johnson felt was linked to his racism claims, was dismissed as unfounded.

Mr Walker, who was on a zero hours contract, found that he was not being offered any more shifts by the firm, as he continued to pursue his race claim.

In a later ruling, in Mr Johnson's favour, employment judge Katharine Ross said: "The tribunal finds it entirely unacceptable in a modern workplace that a serious concern that a worker has suffered racial abuse should not be investigated."

Following a three-day racial discrimination claim hearing, the panel said they found Mr Johnson to be "an articulate and persuasive" witness.

He told the tribunal that following his experiences he had had problems with anxiety and sleeping, to the extent that he had been unable to work for

The judge said its was clear staff involved with the complaint had received no equality training and there was a "lack of awareness" over their responsibility towards the care worker.

An award of £10,293 was set at a later hearing, encompassing £6,000 for injury to feelings and £4,040 for lost earnings, alongside £243 interest.