A former supervisor at a site run under the Greggs bakery chain has been awarded victory in an employment tribunal, after judges found that his dismissal and the insults he endured were motivated by racial discrimination. The man, of Ghanaian descent and described during proceedings as having a Rastafarian appearance, had been referred to by both staff and customers as “ganja man”. This nickname played a central role in the tribunal’s judgment that his treatment was unfair and discriminatory.

The supervisor, named Ebeneezer Paul Tagoe, had worked at a Greggs‑run outlet at Crossbush Services on the A27 near Littlehampton since May 2016. He maintained a clean disciplinary record. In June 2022, the contract for the outlet changed ownership, placing Tagoe under a new employer. Management also imposed a new rule prohibiting staff from giving away free food. Tagoe was absent when this new rule was introduced, due to illness. Shortly afterwards, allegations emerged accusing him of offering or discussing cannabis, and of stealing or giving away, sausage rolls, pasties, and drinks. Additional claims included accusations of unwanted touching of a colleague. Tagoe denied all allegations, expressing shock and upset.

At the disciplinary hearing, the tribunal heard that while some misconduct allegations, such as unauthorised giveaways, were upheld, the serious claim that he had offered drugs to customers, which underpinned the “ganja man” label, was not. The unwanted‑touching charge was also dismissed.

In April 2023, Tagoe was dismissed without notice for gross misconduct, and replaced by another employee of Sri Lankan heritage. However, a unanimous panel of employment judges found that his dismissal and the process leading to it had been flawed. They concluded that the whole disciplinary and appeal process had been what one judge called a “stitch up”, They found that the numerous allegations were rushed through in a short time span following the change of ownership, with no proper opportunity for Tagoe to defend himself.

Crucially, the tribunal explicitly linked the “ganja man” nickname, and the underlying suggestion of drug‑dealing based on Tagoe’s appearance, with racial stereotyping. The panel noted that those allegations and the haste with which they were pursued strongly suggested the real reason for dismissal was an intention to replace Tagoe with someone of a different ethnic background.

Justice was found in the tribunal’s verdict, Tagoe’s claims of unfair dismissal and race discrimination were upheld. Additional claims for unlawful deduction from wages and unpaid holiday entitlement were also successful, with the employer ordered to pay him a sum of £2,552, before offsets.

This is not the first time staff at Greggs have successfully pursued race‑related claims. In a separate case, three former workers were awarded compensation after a tribunal found their 2021 dismissals were unfair and involved racial harassment by a manager.

Employment tribunals have increasingly scrutinised not just the alleged misconduct of employees, but whether cultural or racial bias influenced which accusations were selected and how investigations were conducted.