A former civil servant from Germany has claimed that he was dismissed from his role within the Department for International Development as a result of his nationality.

He feels that he has been punished for the history of his home country by being dismissed so as to allow for British nationals to continue to work with good pay packages whilst his reputation has been tarnished.

 

Since 2006, he had worked in Paris as a deputy delegate for the British ambassador to UNESCO. Whilst his employers claimed his sudden dismissal was the result of a conduct issue, Mr Westerwinter believes it has something to do with a British female he worked with who had originally applied for his job and who as a result he now managed. He told the tribunal that she was resentful of him having got the role rather than her and had referred to him on multiple occasions as a Nazi saying ‘You are a Nazi – you only want me to work!’ Despite having told his employer about this on several occasions he reports that nothing was done. He finds the situation even more deplorable given that his role was to act as the British representative in debates relating to the World War 2 period.

Mr Westerwinter was dismissed whilst others of British nationality were retained. He feels strongly that he was dismissed to ensure others could enjoy greater pay and benefits. In particular he believed that Mr Landymore a British ambassador for UNESCO then sought to ruin his reputation so as to make it difficult for him to obtain an alternative role. He has since been unable to find work and claims that this has led him to suffer from stress related diseases such as high blood pressure and heart issues.

The Department for International Development along with Foreign Office and British Embassy in Paris where he was employed deny the claims. Mr Westerwinter is pursuing claims for unfair dismissal and race discrimination.

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