Honey shop manager, 72, wins £17,000 payout after boss called her an ‘old woman’ in row over pay 

Revenge is sweet! Honey shop manager, 72, wins £17,000 payout after boss called her an ‘old woman’ in row over pay

  • Janet Witt, 72, got into an argument with boss Sam Cooper, 45, in the shop
  • It came after she learned the man in the tea shop earned £1 more than her
  • Mr Cooper called her an ‘old woman’ which led to the employment tribunal 

A veteran shop manager in charge of an award-winning honey farm has been awarded more than £17,000 after her superior branded her an ‘old woman’.

Janet Witt, 72, got into an argument with boss Sam Cooper, 45, after discovering she was being paid £1 less than the man who ran the tea shop next door.

Mother-of-three Mrs Witt, who has run the shop at New Quay farm near Cardigan bay in West Wales for almost two decades, accused Mr Cooper of treating her unfairly.

And an employment tribunal heard the he responded by calling her an ‘old woman’ who was ‘set in her ways’.

Yesterday an employment tribunal found she had been subject to age discrimination, victimisation and unfair dismissal and awarded her the money. 

The hearing in Cardiff was told the former teacher had been friends with Mr Cooper’s parents and had worked at the shop since 2002.

Janet Witt, 72, won her tribunal claim after it ruled she was called an ‘old woman’ in a row

Honey from the farm in Ceredigion – a popular visitor attraction which is the largest of its type in Wales – is stocked in Waitrose and independent food retailers.

But after Mr Cooper took over in 2015, the tribunal heard Mrs Witt became frustrated with his management style and his alleged failure to inform her about changes he wanted to make.

In August 2019 Mrs Witt discovered that the manager of the adjoining Tea Room was being paid £1 an hour more than she was and confronted Mr Cooper.

“She said that what she was paid was unfair,” the tribunal heard.

The panel found that in response Mr Cooper lost his temper, angrily shouting that she was behaving ‘like a child’, telling her ‘how dare you’ and ‘shame on you’.

Mrs Witt reacted by picking up her bag and walking off to her car, while Mr Cooper followed, shouting and swearing at her before giving her a V sign as she drove off.

The shop at New Quay farm near Cardigan bay in West Wales which Mrs Witt used to manage

The shop at New Quay farm near Cardigan bay in West Wales which Mrs Witt used to manage

The following week the tribunal heard Mrs Witt – to Mr Cooper’s surprise – returned to work. The panel heard he believed she had resigned and had offered her job to someone else.

Mrs Witt told the hearing that when she tried to talk to Mr Cooper in his office he ‘shouted over her’ that she had accused him of discrimination.

“Amongst the matters (she) said that she was described as ‘old woman’, the tribunal heard. “We accept that (he) did say this as his view was that (she) was a person resistant to change and set in her ways.”

Although Mrs Witt denied it, the panel – chaired by Employment Judge Philip Davies – found that it was likely she called Mr Cooper a ‘fool’ in response.

“It was likely she would have responded to the statement of being ‘old woman’,” the tribunal concluded. “(She) had a very poor view of (him) by this time because of his behaviour.”

The tribunal ruled that being called ‘old woman’ amounts to age discrimination. However, while finding in Mrs Witt’s favour on the majority of her claims, it took account of her standing up for herself.

“Whilst there is no doubt that (she) was upset about being called ‘old woman’ we find this was said on one occasion and (she) was able to make a robust response to this,” it said.

Mrs Witt – whose additional claim regarding equal pay was dismissed – was awarded £16,943 in compensation, including £6,000 for injury to feelings.

She has since found part time work in a wool mill.