Council chief apologises to binman who claims manager made racist banana jibe

WORKER SAYS HE FACED A NUMBER OF DISCRIMINATORY INCIDENTS

- By RUCSANDRA MOLDOVEANU

“SORRY, I should’ve saved you some since your people love bananas’

This is what Funsu Maveso, a former agency bin loader at Gedling Borough Council, claims he was told by his supervisor when he simply asked for details about his shift.

While the authority's chief executive admitted that “inappropriate” comments had been made regarding Mr Maveso’s “race and ethnicity’, an investigation could not prove whether or not the banana insult took place.

But, according to Mr Maveso, who is black with Italian and African heritage, this was the beginning of a number of discriminatory incidents he had to face during his time at the council, deeply affecting his mental wellbeing.

“I just walked in like normal and saw he was eating his banana. I asked ‘are you all right, which work am I doing?’ He finished his banana and looked at me and said ‘I probably should have given that to you to finish, as people like you eat them” Mr Maveso claimed about the alleged incident in March last year.

That was the last day the 27-year-old was ever given any work, with a drastic reduction in his allocated shifts having started in January the same year.

Following a nine-month-long investigation carried out by the council into this and other incidents, the authority couldn’t conclude whether the supervisor made the comment, due to a lack of evidence to support either side. An outcome letter sent to Mr Maveso in January read: “When interviewed and asked about whether he made the comment regarding the banana, he has denied this, stating he does not like bananas as they make him feel ill which was supported by a witness who knows he has refused banana cake previously for the same reason.”

Mr Maveso, from Aspley, claims he was also told in March last year by the same supervisor: “I don’t want people like you here”