When Maya* started a new teaching job, she did not expect to be called the n-word as she walked down the corridor.

The bullying from her fellow teachers proved relentless. She was called a “curry lover” and believes she was hidden from meeting parents at one point due to her skin colour.

It was not just racism she faced there but also sexism. Male colleagues told her she would have to “bend over a desk to get a promotion” and had “blowjob lips”. Incidents like these happened “almost every day”, she says.

Eventually forced to leave her job, Maya signed a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) making her unable to speak about the abuse she suffered. As part of the conditions of her exit, she also received a significant payout, which she describes as “money to keep quiet”.

  • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I wish more people would know that NDAs can never cover illegal actions, such as workplace harassment and discrimination. You have a right to speak out. Please use your voice, the boat was already rocked when they discriminated against you.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      As part of the conditions of her exit, she also received a significant payout, which she describes as “money to keep quiet”.

      In lots of countries the payout is contingent on the NDA.

      Violate the NDA, they take the money back.

      So they can’t legally stop someone from talking, but there’s an incentive to following the NDA.

      • ReluctantMuskrat@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Best to talk to a lawyer for specifics, but like non-compete agreements, NDAs often include things that can’t legally be enforced. The people wanting you to sign the NDA just hope you don’t know better and you’ll shut up.

        If you know better, you can take their money and then disclose the facts anyway.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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    2 months ago

    I don’t understand ‘curry lover’ as an insult, but I really don’t understand it in the UK where curry is super popular.

    I bet the teachers who call her ‘curry lover’ also ‘go out for a curry’ all the time.

  • Lord Wiggle@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Bullying often comes out of jealousy or insecurity. Seeing the British cuisine, I understand people being jealous of healthy and flavor rich dishes.

    Doesn’t change the fact that bullying, discrimination and racism is disgusting and only shows how low and weak people can be.

  • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Maya signed a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) making her unable to speak about the abuse she suffered.

    I’m pretty sure such an NDA would be invalid here (EU), an NDA cannot legally prevent you from disclosing experiences of abuse regarding your own person.
    But in USA UK the rules are made mostly for the rich, and in this case, the school is richer than the teacher.

      • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Yes I warned strongly against Brexit, explaining how it would be bad, and have no real benefits for UK.
        I especially focused on bureaucracy being doubled, but just moved from EU to UK. Something that maybe wasn’t intuitive to realize, but has come obviously true. But I also warned about freedoms being removed, because UK were already walking the line within EU. And of course the obvious issues with economy. Everything I and others warned against has come true. Including the lack of benefits.
        I think Brexit (edit:) campaign has also been a significant factor in making UK way more xenophobic.
        It’s difficult to say exactly because of Covid, but I think the economy is actually hit a bit harder than I expected.

        • Barbarian@sh.itjust.works
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          2 months ago

          I think Brexit has also been a significant factor in making UK way more xenophobic.

          Personally, I don’t think it’s made the UK more xenophobic. A decent percentage of people supported Brexit due to xenophobia, and the success of the referendum made them more outspoken. Basically, Brexit is a symptom of xenophobia rather than the other way around.

          • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Not Brexit by itself, the Brexit campaign and debate. I think it amplified the already existing xenophobia.

  • ChicoSuave@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Without opening the article this feels super British. Like, talk about an inability to make proper insults, English bigots are some of the most unimaginative and idiotic people on the planet.

    • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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      AFAIK UK used to be pretty open and tolerant towards commonwealth emigrants back in the 70’s?
      IDK why it’s become so bad in the UK, but it seems they’ve gotten worse together with USA the past few decades.
      This is an unfortunate trend that sweeps most of the world. USA, Europe, Russia, China and India. But UK and USA seem worse than most.

  • FauxPseudo @lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Just a reminder that almost everyone is a curry lover. It’s tasty stuff. Using it as an insult shows that one hasn’t thought about what they are saying and is de facto proof that they are an idiot.

  • nifty@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    The UK is a failed state as many society forming institutions are straight up failing, and it seems that the UK is only being held up by the finance industry, so elites who don’t even need the government or it’s society to function. US oligarchs want to do that in the US.

  • Media Bias Fact Checker@lemmy.worldB
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    2 months ago
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    MBFC: Least Biased - Credibility: High - Factual Reporting: High - United Kingdom
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    https://news.sky.com/story/i-was-called-curry-lover-and-humiliated-by-other-teachers-the-toxic-truth-about-staffroom-bullying-13238729

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