Ramsay and Muslim chef agree settlement in discrimination case
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A Muslim chef who claimed he was unfairly dismissed from Gordon Ramsay's flagship Chelsea restaurant reached an out-of-court settlement with the celebrity chef yesterday, the day the case was due to go to a tribunal.
In July it emerged that Tama Siby, 26, was planning to sue Mr Ramsay, his company and two other chefs at the restaurant. Mr Siby – who was promoted from kitchen porter – said he experienced racial discrimination at the eatery, which allegedly included being called a "black donkey", reports have claimed.
Mr Siby, a French citizen of Malian origin, had been intending to claim at least £50,000 in damages to cover an alleged unlawful deduction of wages, injury to feelings and loss of earnings.
Mr Siby's lawyer, Shah Qureshi, of the firm Webster Dixon, confirmed that a settlement had been agreed for an undisclosed amount, believed to be close to the sum originally sought. "My client has reached a settlement with Gordon Ramsay, the terms of which are confidential," said Mr Qureshi in a statement. Contacted by The Independent last night, Mr Qureshi said: "We've reached terms of settlement which the parties are happy with. I am unable to comment any further on the terms of the case."
In July, Mr Siby, who lives in east London, said: "It has nothing to do with money – it has to do with what is right and what is wrong. I want to stop them doing this to others." He told the Sunday Mirror: "I work very hard, but nobody should have to put up with this kind of treatment." He claimed he was prevented from storing yoghurt in the fridges in the restaurant's kitchens in order to eat in the evening after Islamic fasts.
Mr Ramsay, 40, runs nine restaurants in the UK, as well as branches in Tokyo, New York and Dubai. Last month The Independent revealed the chef was closing one of his restaurants – The Connaught, in Mayfair – in a move interpreted as a sign his empire may be in decline. Representatives for Mr Ramsay were not available for comment last night.